


A King Fallen

by Morpheel



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternia, Angst, Death, Derse, Forced Relationship, Gore, Interspecies Relationships, Kingdoms, Kingdomstuck, M/M, Possible Character Suicide, Prospit, Sadstuck, Stockholm Syndrome, Trolls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-08
Updated: 2016-07-25
Packaged: 2018-03-11 05:36:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 30,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3316136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morpheel/pseuds/Morpheel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jake English, the King of Hope, let out a long coarse laugh as the fingers clutching his sword finally let loose, allowing his blade to clatter onto the ground. At that noise beckoned the end of a kingdom, long ruled, long upheld by the proud lines of prophets who founded it. The clouds, normally showing blue skies and promise, grew dark and heavy to the seers who would gaze upon them. The Kingdom of Gold seemed bleak as with the simple echo of steel on the ground, all was lost.<br/>(Abandoned)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fallen

It was a dark and dreary day upon the castle, and rain pattered down onto the king's window. The battlefield stretched in front of him was soaked to the bone, frigid and cold for the soldiers just barely fighting back the imposing enemies. Despite Prospit's training, and sheer number of troops from fertile soil and easy temperatures, Derse was a cunning force to face. The battle started on the checker fields, the land stripped and scarred and appearing like that of a chess board from square trenches once buried, and now if the king simply gazed upon his kingdom, he could see the turmoil and battle from the outside.

Jake English's face was set into a hard line as he clutched the chair, knowing it was only a matter of time that they arrived at his doorstep. He would need to give up land, crops, and other necessities to the Dersians. His grandmother, the queen, was lost to the turmoil already, and without any sufficient heirs, the once lowly Bard was now sitting on the throne of the deceased king. He was only 24, young and eager to begin knight training, but now all of his fellow bards and friends were battling right out there in the war, dying, and allowing the Derse to crawl ever closer to his kingdom.

 His once bright and hopeful eyes were dull with despair, and as the screaming arose from the village at the castles feet, people were being taken hostage and dying. He clutched onto the seat, soldiers in the castle screaming and yelling orders to protect the civilians, to raise the draw bridge. However, judging by the sounds of slaughter below his very feet, he knew that the prince was here, and his shit was wrecked. He glanced down at the parchment in his lap, hand written by King Dirk himself.

_"In a forenight, my troops will take hold of the kingdom of Prospit. Already I am leading my battalion across the river, and I expect a warm greeting when we arrive, or else heavy causalities will be suffered." Dirk Strider._

 

Jake buried his face into his hands, his best knights at his side, and he knew it was their job to die for his life. But if this Dirk Strider was in fact in the castle, then he might not be seeing them again. The rhythmic pattering of rain on the window complimented the approaching boots, and Jake didn't need to raise his head to know that by the sound of the swords being drawn by his sides, his kingdom was finished. "Stand down, men." He said, voice cracking slightly, yet keeping its kingly authority. "Dirk Strider.." he said, glancing up at the blonde in front of him, adorned in a purple war garb. In his hands, he held a Prospit flag, soaked in blood, and impaled on the top lay Jake's commanding war officer's head.

 Jake felt physically ill at the sight of the blood soaked King, unable to understand how one country could hold and harbor so much bloodshed, and enjoy every minute of it. The Derse's lips curved up into a smirk, planting the flag at his feet and standing with regality. He was at most 30, much like Jake himself. The war had claimed more causalities on Derse's side than Jake first pondered, now knowing that both him and Dirk became Kings before their parent's natural time. His train of thought was shattered as Dirk's soldiers came by his side with their weapons drawn.

 "Jake English," smoothly replied the blood stained king, formalities abandoned. There was no King of Heart, or King of Hope, simply two lost friends addressing each other by their god given names, as if shining on a time before the war. Jake's knuckled clutched the throne room as Dirk spoke again, his shoulders tense and angry, yet Jake's face stayed monotone. He would not give Dirk the satisfaction of his fear, of his defeat, and Dirk simply said, "Your kingdom is burning, the houses are in ruin, and your once plentiful crop fields have been scavenged bare. I stand at your throne with the head of your officer, and I bring you an option. Give up Prospit entirely to Derse, and rule with me by my side as my queen. Or watch the world burn around you, as flames dance up the castle, and burn you alive."

 Jake swallowed thickly around the knot in his throat, eyes betraying the hints of anger, of remorse he felt. This wasn't the Dirk he knew, the one who visited Prospit freely, while he was a prince, and you were merely an apprentice. This was a ruthless killer, hardened by the screams of the innocent, enduring on through famine and drought. Jake was out numbered, out powered, and out willed. He knew his kingdom truly was over, he had lost, and he kept his eyes as steady as he could as he said,

 "Your path has been admirable, Dirk Strider, but as the King to MY kingdom, I feel it fit I go down with my rein." He said, and as he rose from his throne, the Derse soldiers around Jake readied their bows and drew back. Dirk raised a curious eyebrow, three against thirty were some narrow odds, and he simply let his face fall to neutral again. "You'd rather die than to be my queen? I don't know if that's admirable or foolish. Whatever happened to my innocent Bard, flushed around the ears and neck after a sparring match? In which a childlike fisticuff would slowly turn itself into a throe of passion on the training grounds floors. What happened to the fire in your eyes as we exchanged passionate vows, you clenched around my manhood as our bodies were never closer?"

 Dirk questioned, slowly walking forward with the flag in one of his hands, and a sword in the other. His eyes were burning, his lips blood stained and drawn tight, and he tilted his head to the side as he rang out again, "Didn't you confess you wanted to be my queen? Then what's holding you back now, Jake English? Is it the fact you have lost for once, that I didn't take it easy and let you win every battle like I did when we were children?" His tone leaked malice and anger, eyes burning with an inferno, and he was standing face to face with Jake, towering over the young man. "Because I know you don't want to die, Jake." Dirk said, sheathing his sword to move his hand forward and slowly lower the Fallen King's sword, and his face broke and his smirk was as wide as ever.

  
“You haven’t even started living.”  
  
Jake refused to look down, despite the Mad King walking closer to him, disarming him with a simple lowering of his weapon. His arm was heavy and sluggish; dangling with the sword tip against the ground, and it was true. He was only 24, and had barely even begun his Knight training. He lost his Grandmother, his sister Princess Jade would be captured and married off, or worse. He was so young, with no Kingly training, and yet here he was, pinned between a rock and a hard place with a choice to make.  
  
The Derse life was strange and foreign, Jake having only been in the territory once, and only to the shining capitol that was rumored to be the only beautiful place in that shithole of a kingdom. He didn’t know what they’d do with his prosperous empire, but Jake was scared. The entire kingdom’s life was in his hands, and either he died a hero and Prospit went down fighting, or he submitted and signed his reign over to Dirk, and sat as his lowly queen, a mere toy for the man to prove his conquering. But in doing so, he would have saved hundreds of thousands of lives in the process, but for how long.  
  
Jake wanted to talk this out, he needed to, but if he did then it was obvious that Prospit would have to submit. The action he picked had to be now; this was his last chance to fight. His eyes drifted from the lining of Derse archers, arrows pointed at his knights and himself, to the set faces of the men behind the Prospit armor, the fear in their eyes. The Black King sat waiting, his army set behind him, and he was not known to be a fair man. He claimed the ways of honor, but he was shameless, and walked a path of blood. “If you choose to fight me, I feel obliged to mention that by no means will it be a fair fight.” Dirk said, and he knew that so long as he either forcefully obtained Prospit’s resources or peacefully negotiated, no other kingdom would shame him for his cruel and merciless ways, as they could be eliminated with ease.  
  
No longer would Dirk’s country suffer long droughts and harsh famines. With Prospit’s population nearly wiped out from the war and plundering, their rich soil could be used to feed hungry mouths, and Derse’s armies would grow ever stronger, resulting in the community being improved. Dirk needed to secure this for his people, or face mutiny. “What will it be, English.” He asked, and just as he felt the muscles clench on Jake’s sword, his own blade was drawn again and pressed right against his stubbly throat. Jake froze at the cold, blood stained steel pressed against his neck, blade sharp enough to mar the skin on his neck and allow his blood to mingle with those in his kingdom who fell to this ruthless monster.  
  
“You aren’t going to let me pick, are you, Strider.” Jake said with a bitter, coarse laugh, the fingers clutching his sword finally letting loose and allowing his blade to clatter onto the ground. At that noise beckoned the end of a kingdom, long ruled, long upheld by the proud lines of prophets who founded it. The clouds, normally showing blue skies and promise, grew dark and heavy to the seers who would gaze upon them. The kingdom of gold seemed bleak as with the simple echo of steel on the ground, all was lost.  
  
Dirk’s stoic face broke in that moment, a smile overtaking his lips as he knew he had won. The two knights next to Jake noticed the surrender of their king, and with a heavy heart of concrete in their chests, they too disarmed themselves. “I surrender.” The once Prospit King said, his eyes gazing right into the cold, black shades of Dirk’s, narrowing his eyes. “However, conditions are to be made. And until I sign a treaty that I deem fair, I refuse to unhand my kingdom.” He stated with bite, refusing to let the blade at his throat deter him from his demanding tone. He was a king, and he would be treated as one.

But at that statement, Dirk’s laugh howled throughout the throne room, and he tossed the flag to the side. The sick splattering of the head caused Jake to flinch lightly, and Dirk’s hand casually dragged the blade across Jake’s neck, the small trickle of blood increasing just a bit, and the stinging pain was lost on Jake. All he could feel was the bitter sting of defeat. Dirk addressed him again after that, his army barking out laughs in the background. “There is no treaty to discuss, Jake, I have won and you have lost. I mentioned before you made your choice of peace or turmoil that I will not be discussing rights, and at your surrender, you will have given up all of Prospit to Derse.” Dirk said simply, reveling in the flash of distress in Jake’s face.  
  
The king, still but a kid, stumbled and stuttered at that. His lips fell into a shocked expression, and finally he managed to stumble out, “That isn’t fair! It completely goes against all codes of honor, of the code of balance! Alternia will not stand this tyranny!” Jake said harshly, before Dirk silenced him with a hand over his mouth, towering over Jake as he took a step closer, nearly pressing against the shorter man’s body. “Then this means you wish to die for nothing? The ways of the kingdom is not blind to me, but as my brothers struggle for food, even sitting on their golden thrones, something must change. It’s survival of the fittest, Jake. And evolution is the prize of the strong.” Dirk’s voice stated simply, before he stepped back, properly holding his blade in his hand, pointing it at Jake.  
  
“Prospit was never meant to be anything more than a measly state, never a country. Only through Alternia and Derse’s war did you manage to break free into your own name. I see you as nothing, King of Hope. You sit on a throne of lies.” Dirk said, and Jake was outraged. But Dirk was not feeling generous to let those lower than him speak when he noticed Jake about to rebuke him, and he finalized in a sharp tone, “We have defeated your kingdom, stormed your very castle, and still you try to speak of honor. We have won, your borders have been liquefied, and there is nothing to negotiate. Now, if you speak one more word, I will take it as you defying your new husband and King.” Dirk stated, and Jake felt his blood boil. He was a human, not a prize, but with that sword pointed at his chest his earlier fears were confirmed. His kingdom would end that day, and as he chanced a look out the window, his heart grew sad at the sight of his people kneeling in town square, beaten down if they lash out, and on deaths row. If he fought, Dirk simply had to wave his hand to the tentative soldiers down below, and the entire town would be slaughtered.  
  
This was a grim reminder for Jake, and soon the last of his hope was gone. He was certain those people would have very little rights when he gave the kingdom over, but it was better than them being herded and slaughtered like cattle. Jake finally let his mouth fall closed, looking Dirk harshly in the eyes, before he bowed his head in an act of submission. His hands came up slowly, as to not alert the soldiers behind Dirk, and he gripped the royal crown. Dirk brought his hand up and stopped him there, causing Jake to look up in mild confusion, before the pointed finger of the Dersian caused his head to follow its direction. He looked back out the window, silent, before he knew what Dirk wanted him to do. The balcony was grand and well planted, a beautiful resting place where his grandmother would sit and read as Prince John and Princess Jade played among the shade of the potted trees. The entire kingdom could see them from there, but instead of a speech being delivered to the masses of people gathered in the square, Jake knew that Dirk had other plans.  
  
He narrowed his eyes at Dirk, the glee on the man’s face evident, and Jake simply turned and padded down towards the balcony. As he entered onto the pavement, the soldiers commanded the townsfolk to raise their head to their once king, and the people grew confused. Jake stood there with a solemn look, trying to remain still, professional, when truly he was bubbling on the inside. He was made a mockery of, demeaned, and forced for all of the people to see the moment of his de-crowning. Dirk walked up next to his side, a soldier following him with the bloody flag in his tiny hands.  
  
There was no grand speech, no blatant statement of defeat. Dirk simply nodded to Jake again, his pose leaking an air of superiority, and Jake’s trembling hands moved to the top of his head again. He could no longer look at the people, no longer retain the tears sliding down his cheek as he lifted the crown off his black locks, it having sat there for merely a month. He failed. Prospit was now property of Derse, and Jake was no better. He was as low as the people, if not lower. While they went on with their restricted lives, or whatever Dirk planned for the race of Prospit’s, he would be a plaything for Dirk’s bedchambers.  
  
After the crown was finally removed from Jake’s head, Dirk took it into his hand, spinning the expensive crown on his fingers, and with a simply toss of his wrist it was casted into the moat at the foot of the castle. He called out to the people, his tone loud and amplified by the shape of the balcony, echoing into the kingdom below. “Prospit has fallen, and the king is nothing. Once high and revered as the force that would finish the war, you certainly were correct. He did finish this war in surrender, and now, he shall be taken as my wife.” Dirk said, and in the distance the sound of a scream ripped through the people, a sound that made Jake’s heart drop as he recognized the word. “Traitor!”  
  
As the people’s rage and confusion grew, more voices joining the choir, the Derse soldiers laughing as the people turned against their now de-throned king. “Weak! Misfit! Useless!” The words cut deeper than Dirk’s sword ever could, and all Jake could do was hang his head low as the town shouted at him. He was silent, before finally he parted his lips to whimper out a request. “Can we go back inside, Dirk.” He asked, before he winced as a gloved hand backhanded him, Dirk’s voice harsh as he said. “I’m not Dirk to you anymore. I am your king, and you will refer to me as such.” He said, before Jake simply held his head low, voice not conveying that he was crying.  
  
He acted tough, but Jake truly was just a lost kid, and if their king could hold out for 3 more months, John would have been 18, and old enough to become king. He would have had proper training, he knew what his dad would have done in that situation. But in that time, Jake felt he was the one to destroy the kingdom, drag it down and burn it. With the villagers chanting his failures, he didn’t just think it to be true, he believed it.

He tried again, his tone cracking being the only audible hint that Jake was crying. “King Dirk, can we please go back inside.” He said, and it was only a small moment of thought before Dirk was turning with a small snort, leaving Jake’s side. Jake only assumed that meant his prayers had been answered, and he was quick to follow Dirk back into the empty walls of his kingdom. He truly was hopeless, and he didn’t know what would happen from here. With the chanting still lodged into his brain, he didn’t look anywhere but down.


	2. Deceit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so sorry I haven't updated in so long! I've been very lazy as of late, and I couldn't find motivation or time to actually sit down for more than ten minutes to work on this. But I finally got another chapter out, and I'm going to try to regulate my updates. My chapters may become shorter, but for now I try to stick to a 4,000 to 5,000 word count per chapter. Thank you again so much for reading my story, all of these kudos so early are absolutely wonderful.

It was monotonous after that point, the rain coming down in cascades against the stone bricks that the great castle was composed of. It rang dull in Jake’s ear as his home, his childhood adobe, was ransacked by the Dersians. The crackling fires outside were swiftly extinguished by the increased rate of precipitation, and Jake shuffled his boots on the ground as Dirk sat upon his throne. It was disgusting to watch, Jake thought, as Dirk treated his throne with as much respect as an unruly child would show its custodian. His dirty boots rested on the arm rests, head resting on his fist with lazy posture. He looked to be anything but a king, sitting as such, but he kept his voice mute.

 He was expected to stay quiet, stay timid, even after his grandmother’s heirlooms were taken out one by one. Certain soldiers found it amusing to defile the photographs of his family, putting an arrow through his grandmother, and a sword through her husband’s chest. He was clenching his fists at the sound of smashing and the scared screams of the castle’s caretakers, all valuables dragged out into the street and loaded onto a cart that Jake assumed would go to Derse. He didn't want to know what they were doing to the people, and while it was hard to drown out the screams of the village, it was near impossible to deny the terrified shrieks of the woman and men who served him life on a silver platter and raised him from an infant to where he stood today.

 He shamed them, betrayed them, and ran to Dirk with his tail between his legs, just like he always did.

 

* * *

 

_“Dirk, wait!” A young boy called out to the lad running far ahead of him, ducking and stumbling through the dirt path and narrowly avoiding the crowds of people traversing the same road. The blonde haired kid, now known as Dirk, smirked back as he was much faster than the clumsy and heavy footed boy behind him. He was trained since he was 6 to be able to run for at least a mile without stopping. He already knew the proper stance to be in to wield a sword, while his friend’s only training he knew was in the art of survival and foraging._

_Dirk quickly turned off of the path a moment later, causing the Prospitian to halt in his tracks and look towards the direction Dirk was running. He seemed nervous, anxiously wringing his shirt in his hands, before he called out. “Dirk, my grandma told me not to go off of the path!” He said in a distressed tenor, catching the attention of the purple lad, before said kid turned and grinned at him as he teased, “C’mon, Jake, we won’t go too far off path!” he stated, not really knowing the borders around Prospit. Perhaps if the 8 year old Dersian knew that they were on the edge of the capitol village he would have thought twice before leaving the calm, timid town._

_Jake was sheltered beyond belief, pampered with little to no work by his grandmother, and he barely ever left the safe walls of his castle. He didn’t know the layout of his own kingdom except from various maps spread across the library he and his nana liked to spend time in, and even then, he didn’t understand them all that well. So with hesitance, Jake followed Dirk into the grassy lands that stretched across miles, dotted with trees and forests and shimmering ponds that refracted light like a mirror._

_T_ _hey wandered for hours, rolling in the grasslands together whenever Dirk grew kind enough to let Jake catch him, laughing at the feeling of a heavy and plump body tackle into him and send him sprawled across the ground. A few times his glasses would knock out of place, but Dirk didn’t mind, so long as they weren’t broken. Where he was from, orange and red eyes were quite common, as well as purples and pinks. But never before had he seen someone with such gorgeous green eyes, deep like the very forest they were currently tussling in._

_And despite the kid not having any practice in combat, he held a fine fisticuff. Dirk was fast and quick, but Jake held a strength that Dirk just didn’t think he could properly match. Perhaps if the Dersian had enough food to keep him properly nourished, he could add on a few pounds and finally get that strength upper hand on Jake, but sadly that wasn’t an option for the child. Jake and him were laughing as Dirk had tripped over a log in the forest and scraped his knee, Jake joking that was the only damage he’d actually had on him, and it was caused by a stationary log in the middle of a forest._

_However, the screech of an owl quickly knocked both of the boys out of their dazed laughter, and soon Jake was the first to notice the darkening skies above the canopy of leaves. He froze up, realizing that he was stuck in nearly the middle of nowhere with Dirk, and he had absolutely no idea where they were or how they got into this particular patch of trees. His mouth opened, but Dirk beat him to the punch, his voice calm, stoic, and collected._

_“Looks like we played a bit too long, it’s getting dark.” Dirk stated obviously, before Jake frowned and moved over to his friend, his hand trembling as he held onto the boy’s sleeve. “Well that’s pretty obvious, Strider, but how are we gonna get out of here and get home before nightfall!” He asked with a tremor to his voice, chewing on the inside of his cheek. “We already missed dinner, and grandma’s gonna be so worried!”_

_Dirk looked at the expanse of the forest stretched beyond them, trying to figure out just where the sun rose and where it set, but all he could see was a pinkish orange sky up ahead of him. The fluffy white clouds seemed bright even amidst the darkening sky, one of Prospit’s many charms, but it really didn’t help him in this situation. Dirk glanced around the woods, feeling out of his element. And while he was perturbed, Jake was full on mortified by his surroundings; the chirping of crickets echoing through the trees, the rustling of leaves in the wind, and the constant snapping of twigs as they walked that Jake honestly couldn’t distinguish as theirs. Dirk was on high alert now, and even if these woods were small, predators had to live and hunt somewhere in cover compared to the wide expanse of the prairie._

_J_ _ake jumped when a stick cracked behind him, whipping his head around with a shocked expression, before letting out a loud breath when he realized it was just a little tiny white bull dashing across the leaves. Tinker bulls, a harmless ambassador species of Alternian bull that’s more scared of you than you are it. Jake always loved the things and he was about to tug on Dirk’s sleeve to show him, before Dirk was drawing out a pocket knife from his belt._

_He grabbed Jake’s wrist and randomly picked a direction to travel in, knowing full well that despite the woods seeming endless, eventually it would melt back into prairie. At that point, it was to simply figure out the way back to the path, therefore the way to the town. Jake was a bit surprised at the force that Dirk was putting into moving, and he stuttered a bit nervously, “G-Golly, Dirk, why are we moving so fast..?” he asked, knowing that when Dirk was on edge, Jake damn well should be too. So he tensed up, sped up his feet to match Dirk’s pace with the occasional stumble, and tried to find their way out of the woods. Dirk tried to follow his gut, but it was spinning with nervousness, and even if Jake couldn’t hear the snapping of twigs, the footsteps around them, he could. They were being hunted by something, and with their only weapon being a pocket knife, Dirk knew that even with his training it would be really hard to deal with anything more than a wild dog._

_Jake had to squint to see through the impending darkness now, the leaves blocking the light of the setting sun, and he was breathing heavily by the time that Dirk ducked them into a hollowed out tree. Jake nearly squealed at the cobwebs surrounding him now, clutching onto Dirk’s sleeve tighter as another hand tried to bat away the sticky threads, while Dirk quickly clasped his hand over Jake’s mouth. He said in a hushed tone, “Something’s out there.” He stated simply, causing Jake’s eyes to water up, and his arms to go from swatting away pesky webs to winding tightly around Dirk._

_The sounds of the evening around him were soothing and quiet, but Dirk stayed tense and alert, and even as the shades of night finally enveloped the forest and fireflies casted their gentle lights across the woods, both boys were tense and scared. The cooing of tired and lazy birds, chirp of cicadas nestling in their burrows to sleep, and the bullfrog croaking were the beckons to the children, and soon Dirk found himself slid against the bottom of the tree. Jake was still glancing outside, a mixture of fright and amazement on his features._

_He never knew how truly beautiful Prospit was, and even with a growling stomach and nervous gut, he stared out at the long expanse of the woods, at the fireflies dancing and the stars twinkling overhead. The visions he could procure from the clouds were too dark to decipher, so with a heavy sigh, he slumped into Dirk’s lap and collapsed on top of him. There was no way they could go home like this, and with the sounds of sticks cracking all around him, the screech of the owl or call of the wolf, Jake was shaking. They weren’t safe, no matter what the beautiful scenery said, and he didn’t even realize he was breathing hard until Dirk clasped his hand onto his pal’s shoulder._

_“Jake, just relax, okay? We’re stuck like this until daytime.” He said easily, before holding Jake in his arms, chin taking its place upon the curly black locks of his hair. “No need to shake and tremble, even if the sounds around you are scary, so long as I’m here they won’t hurt you,” he said, causing the Prospit boy to slowly slump and lax in his arms, and Jake bit the inside of his cheek as a whimper left him._

_“Okay, Dirk...” He said with a pause, before adding on, “You promise?”_

_“Yes, I promise.”_

* * *

 Jake was snapped out of his daydream of easier times by a swift backhand to the side of his face. His eyes widened in absolute shock as his fingers trailed up along his jaw, assessing what just happened. When he looked up, he noticed once of the many soldiers was the culprit for Jake’s now reddening cheek, and he was about to speak up and give this buster a piece of his spit fire. How dare he hit a royal! Did he not know his place!?

 His voice was silenced however by Dirk’s demanding tone, and it was harsh, sharp. “Don’t speak, Jake. Nobody asked you to. Besides, perhaps if you listened to your surroundings around you instead of staring off into space, then you’d have caught the demands of my second-in-power.” He said simply, making Jake gulp, before trying oh so desperately to keep his glare in check. He was already dangling above boiling hot water; there was no sense in trying to jump in as well, even if he had the faint chance to swim away before he was cooked alive.

 “Well, PARDON me, Sir Second-In-Command.” Jake said with a slight edge to his tone, before he realized that the soldier who slapped him wasn’t the person that Jake was looking for. He saw said person standing next to Dirk, his head at the leader’s shoulders, and instead of the purples and blacks that the residents normally garbed themselves in? He was wearing a bright red getup, chest armor covering his vitals while his arms were left free to wield the sword he held in one hand. Currently, however, that blade resided in its sheath to slumber for another day.

 As the new arrival stepped forward, his long billowing cape moved with him, as if it were an extension of his being. The blonde of his hair mixed with the red of his outfit made his face appear paler than anything, but Jake didn’t get the pleasure of looking for too long, before he found himself dizzy and on the ground. A boot was pressed over Jake’s chest, pressing down hard, and the red-clad knight spoke with a hiss as deadly as venom. “You thought you were smart, didn’t you? Having a secret safe word for your cousin and sister to use while we invaded?” The knight said, face stoic even as Jake sputtered and wheezed from the boot against his organs, the pain galloping through him like a heard of horses.

 Jake feigned ignorance, wheezing softly as the foot went from his stomach to his neck, his fingers desperately scrabbling along the other’s leg to try and lift it off him. Dear Jesus, what was with these Striders and not letting you even have a choice in speaking! It was enough for Dirk, though, who cleared his throat rather loudly to catch the attention of his brother from across the room. “Dave, don’t you think that this is counterproductive. I’m certain if you ask my bride nicely, he’ll gladly show you where John and Jade are.” He said smoothly, checking over his nails in an uninterested fashion.

 Jake took a few gulps of air, not certain when that precious commodity would be taken away from him like the rest of his possessions, but he simply grunted as the man now known as Dave hoisted him up to his feet. And when Jake was able to get a better look at the knight, he paused when he realized that at most he was 18 years old. And that Jake was much taller than him, and it was hard to take anyone seriously when they were craning their neck up to glare at you through their strange shades.

 Jake scoffed when Dave asked him again, “Where is John and Jade,” which only made Jake even more hesitant and annoyed to answer. But with Dirk behind him, gazing at the two lazily through his pointy shades, Jake huffed as he turned tail. He didn’t acknowledge Dave in the slightest, clenching his fists into his palms. Because how was he supposed to avoid a situation like this? Dave knew that Jade and John were in the castle, and he was attempting to remove every Prospit power he could to secure Dirk’s rein across the Golden City.

 On one hand, Jake could lead them in circles through the castle, shouting a random word at the top of his lungs to make it seem as if there were multiple hiding spots to cue in John and Jade to escape through the intricate tunnels. But judging by the lad behind him, he doubted that he would fall for such a measly trick. Jake didn’t even want to imagine the repercussions that his actions would result in. So onwards he tracked, face red and fists trembling as he attempted to stay calm. He needed to lead Dave off track, but soon he paused as Dave jabbed him hard in the back, re-catching his attention.

 “Are you going to stop thinking about how to avoid this and suffer a harsh punishment of my choice or would you rather be a good boy and make your marriage life a little easier? Because let me tell you, my brother’s a few hooves short of a horse, get it?” he said, and his manner of speech quickly threw Jake off. Because who in their right minds compared a mental shortcoming to horses without hooves? Seriously, he knew that Dirk could talk strange too, but Dave appeared to be the most literate of the group from what he’s heard.

 But Jake made sure to not let his inner ramblings distract him, and he bit the inside of his cheek. It was still too late to turn back, but he knew that if there was one thing he could do, it was keep John and Jade safe. He didn't care what happened to him, he simply couldn't just give them right into this teen’s blood soaked hands. He made the correct choice in forfeiting and allowing Prospit to fall peacefully into Dirk’s hands, he thought, but in this case everyone will lose if he obeys.

 He stepped quietly through the halls, already formulating a plan of action in order to give Jade and John a running start. He slumped his shoulders, however, as he knew Strider was examining his body posture. If he appeared tense, it would seem he still had fight in him. However? If he stayed still, walked slow, and dropped his shoulders, there was the chance that Dave would read it as a sign of submission and hesitance. He forced his shoulders to relax as he approached an older room of the castle, the wall’s color having faded over the many years of its life. Jake was no actor, but he had to be convincing enough to at least take the Dersian by surprise.

He creaked open the door after a moment, the candle light from the hallways flooding into the darkest corners of the room, before finally Jake stepped inside the dusty, sheet covered space. It appeared to be an old study. The walls were lined with decrepit paintings, the trophies on the wall neglected and covered with the intricate patterns of cobwebs, and everything but the floor containing a rather heavy layer of dust. Jake knew that this room was mainly ignored by the staff and layout of the building, due to its small statue and size. It was one of the most inconspicuous locations his great great great grandmother could think to hide a secret exit and entrance. Well, it wasn’t a secret any longer, Jake thought.

 His eyes scanned over the dust covered objects as he scanned through the room, Dave looming ominously behind him as he drummed his fingers along his arm. Perhaps it was a nervous habit, judging by how antsy the male seemed to find John and Jade. It made Jake just a bit nervous, the intentions of this man unknown, but if he knew one thing it was that he had to prevent them from being captured at all costs. He approached behind the desk of the study, Dave’s attention locked on him while the other two guards began to casually roam the grounds of the room.

 Damn thieves, looking for more treasures to grab with their grubby, greedy fingers. Jake sighed hollowly as he knocked twice on the desk to create an echoing reverberation through the empty room, before stepping on a rather creaky board on the floor. As he did so, he said, “Windy nights, summer lights,” which peaked Dave’s attention from the door. He watched as Jake stepped across the floor, looking…honestly, extremely dumb. He was trying to step elegantly from step to step to creak the floor boards in a so-called pattern, but in the end it was a graceless ballet of awkward limbs and flailing, making the younger Derse teen chuckle deep in his throat.

 Hell, perhaps Jake could properly bullshit himself through this one. Because deep inside the floor boards, John and Jade listened in confusion to the array of creaks and Jake’s strange chant, bright blue eyes meeting green in the dull light the candle they had provided. “Do you know what he’s talking about…?” John asked Jade, only getting a simple shrug of her shoulders at first. But at the act continued, Jake began to grow worried at the skeptical look in Dave’s features replacing the faint amusement, and soon Jake resorted to desperately stomping on the floor, making the shelter below the room creak and groan in protest.

 Jade perked up at this, looking at the ceiling, before she quickly grabbed John’s sleeve and tried to tug him down the halls as she started to put two and two together. “John, I think something’s wrong.” She said, before next thing all the two heard was the sound of a slam, Jake’s pained grunt filling the blank space after that. Dave had a blade pressed to the Once-King’s throat, his lips drawn back into an ugly snarl. “I know for a damn fact you’re bullshitting me at this point.” He threatened with a venomous tone, the blade near his neck glinting dangerously. “And let me tell you, this is twenty, almost fifty shades of fucking uncool. I’m tired of playing around, English.” He warned, Jake simply snorting in defiance at the Dersian.

 “I dunno about you, Strider, but I’m having a damn grand time.” He hissed through clenched teeth, causing Dave’s aggression to only spike further as the blade was re-opening scarred skin at the base of his larynx. “Shut your fucking smart mouth before I shove my sword so far down your throat you’ll be the new sheath for Excalibur.” Dave warned, and Jake felt just a bit cocky. Even with the blood starting to trickle down his cut neck, he edged Dave on. “And what are you planning on doing, Dave? You can’t touch me without Dirk’s permission, and I doubt that no matter how much of a monstrosity he’s converted into, he wouldn’t approve of his fiancé sliced to bits on the end of your precious sword.” He drawled on, and he knew that by now Jade and John were aware of his presence, and the other dangers in the room.  In fact, said teenagers were dashing through the soggy tunnels as Jake and Dave dwindled in the room. The two were obviously scared for the safety and well being of Jake but knew they had to get out in one piece for him. Consider it a fucked up form of motivation.

 “We can’t just leave Jake!” John argued as Jade dragged him down the halls, helplessly looking at the candle lit shelter as it was steadily getting farther and farther away. Jake was going to suffer for not ratting them out, John knew it, and he didn’t know if his cousin would get out of there alive. Jade looked torn too, but with a look to John, she steeled herself to say quickly, “John Egbert if you think it’s easy for me to turn my back on my brother, you’re damn wrong!” Jade barked, almost literally, “But I know that if we get caught now then all of his sacrifice would be for nothing! I want to stand and fight as much as you do, but we are literally useless like this!”

 John was hesitant to accept the information Jade was feeding him, but with one last glance at the almost non-existent candle fading into the distance, he turned away from the sight and finally picked up his feet. “Damn you for always being right.” He mumbled, before dashing into the darkness with his sister by his side.

 Back in the study, Jake had found himself pressed hard against the wall as the body guard Dersians began to dismantle the place board by board in an attempt to catch up to the fleeing teens, and all Jake could do was smirk at the frustration it was so obviously causing Dave. Good, these blonde haired weird shaded fuckers deserved this, and as Dave barked out orders to destroy everything and anything, Jake couldn’t help the bitter laugh that slipped from his lips. “Good luck, old chap.” He said with the utter most confidence, before finding his head reeling as it was slammed just a bit too hard against the wall, his forehead instantly splitting on contact. He spun on his feet, not expecting Dave to be so fast, and so strong at that. Well, he did suppose he was related to Dirk.

 Just as Jake was starting to get his head back, he realized that more than a few moments had passed since the initial hit. It was at least a few minutes later, and the door to the entrance was wide open. The two men at Dave’s side were gone, presumably in the tunnels that were meant to keep his siblings and relatives safe. He parted his lips to try and speak, but all that came out was a pathetic noise. Dave was quick to notice it, his head swerving around to look at Jake like he was the scum of the earth.

 Jake wanted to speak, but all he could hear was the buzz and ringing in his ear from the first and second  hit, not even sure what to say. He wanted to swear Dave out, but it was soon obvious to see that so long as Jake wasn’t killed or mutilated, he was fair game. He growled low in his stomach and stared at Dave with the upmost distain, clutching onto the bricks, before he called out, “You bastard, what are you even going to do with them when you catch them, hmm?” he said, before spitting out in a mocking tone, “Try to make one of them YOUR fiancé, how original of you!”

 The last thing that Jake saw and heard was the footsteps and form of Dave approaching him, and just before his head collided with the stone again from the force of Dave’s calm rage, he heard a pair of twin shrieks echoing from the tunnels. Jake wasn’t able to think after his head was slammed into the wall for a second time, and soon he was blacking out with only the vague reflection that he failed once again.


	3. Nothing will ever be the same

_Trees, grass, a slightly sulfuric smell in the air, and a gentle breeze caressing his face was what Jake could sense around him. It made his weary body feel as if it was floating on a cloud. It was slightly cold out, making him just want to burrow himself into whatever it was that felt so soft below him. When he opened his eyes, all he saw was a vast expanse of blue all around him, engulfing his senses. Everywhere he looked it was so bright and sunny, and as his tired head gazed upwards, he could see clouds. Gorgeous, golden clouds that rolled above him. His glass eyes trained on the morphing shapes, and it almost seemed like time around him was sped up five times what it actually was. They passed by so fast, and in them flashes of scenes could be collected._

_He saw his Nanna in one, sitting on the throne. In another it was John and Jade, their goofy faces all full of treats from the bakery. In another it was him with a wooden sword in his hand, struggling with the foreign object as his tutor mercilessly rained down attacks. The clouds kept moving so fast, and soon Jake had to move his head away. While everything was in hyper speed, he was trapped in slow motion, his thoughts and actions feeling as if lead were crushing him and slowing him down. It honestly hurt a lot, and his pounding headache was made worse by the bright flashing lights of the clouds overhead._

_However, all at once time stood absolutely still. The cool breeze blowing onto him turned stale and cold, the air reeked of ash, and the light assaulting his eyes slowly grew duller and duller. A feeling of dread entered Jake’s body, and as he opened his eyes and gazed at the changes around him, all he could focus on were the clouds. The brilliant gold had faded into a stormy grey, heavy and dark with warning. Lightning and thunder danced and cried around him, a cacophony of sounds in his head that made his headache ten times worse than the light could, and above him in the clouds all he could see was the burning village of Prospit. He could see the fear in the people’s faces, the terror. They were on their knees, bowing before the Dersians that stood on his rightful balcony._  
  
_Lightning struck and the dream erupted in crackles, the feeling of the ground shaking making Jake cower. He could hear twin screams, and in the clouds two men draped in purple had grabbed hold of the two golden clad heirs, the two fighting fiercely against their attackers. Jake registered John and Jade for only a moment before the image of them slumped across their attackers shoulders made Jake’s chest leap in horror. John was bleeding, his head slumped down and body limp. Jade was crying, her only defense having been a knife. It lay abandoned in a wet puddle somewhere in that dark tunnel, and after all the blows she took for John, she could only weakly pound her hand against the brute’s back in a measly attempt to ward off the two men._  
  
_All Jake could do was stare into the clouds as his relatives were dragged off by the invading forces, and as he reached helplessly towards the grey cloud a flash of lighting filled his vision. He could only scream as white hot pain shot through his system and jolted him to his very core, the lightning cracking and blinding him. And suddenly the clouds were gone, the field and breeze turning to hard stone and stale air. When he could open his tired eyes again, he was staring up at his throne. Dirk sat there with an unamused and disappointed expression as Jake struggled to figure out his surroundings. Where did the clouds go, where were Jade and John at, and why did he see the clouds in the first place._

 

* * *

 

Not once in his life was Jake ever able to see the clouds, despite the prophets’ lessons and the nights spent meditating. Every time he tried to peer through the past, present, and future all he could see was the normal fluffy white. For goodness sake he wasn’t even outside! It made no sense, that his dreams would hold the prophesies blind to him since he was a boy. In fact, Jake had a lot more that he wanted to ponder on, but a sharp hit to the head sent him sprawling across the floor and very effectively cutting off his train of thought. He tried to catch himself, but he soon learned that his arms were tightly bound, and he landed smack dab right on the kisser. Owch.

It wasn’t any better when the echo of footsteaps descended to him, and a boot rested right on the king’s head, pressing it’s filthy sole down against his deep raven hair. Jake shivered as he felt the sole grind against him, wincing at the pain of being driven into the ground, but he didn’t dare speak. “Jakey Jakey Jakey,” Dirk drawled in a foreign accent, clicking his tongue in a rather immature and impertinent manner, “You’re going to make this marriage quite difficult between us, aren’t you. Lying to me already, tricking my brother and allowing your siblings to escape. You really are a rebellious one, aren’t you.”  
  
Dirk paused, waiting to see if the subdued king would hold any objections, and he merely scoffed when his prey remained silent. He was much like a cat toying with a mouse, and Jake simply wanted to know when the man would tire of playing with his food. “Remind me later to display to you what us Dersians do to traitors, won’t you, babe. But for now, I have bigger metaphorical fish to boil. Your two little heirs put up quite the fight, it was actually admirable for their size. I’m not certain what I’ll do with them yet, but I know for certain you won’t be seeing each other for a very, very long time.”  
  
As Dirk lifted his boot from Jake’s head in order to pace around the room, Jake’s rattled and nearly concussed head turned to stare around the area. Dave was giving him a rather sour look as he stood guard at the door, and Jake supposed that it was due to the fact that he had both insulted him and almost let his sister and cousin escape. Speaking of sister and cousin, where were they? He turned his head slowly, his eyes scanning through the wrecked throne room, and he winced when he saw the sight of John laying on the ground unconscious and Jade tied up much like how Jake was. When they met eyes, sadness filled her lime green irises, and Jake’s solemn and sorrowful forest green eyes returned the look. He wanted to speak, but as Dirk mentioned the demonstrations Jake winced and turned his gaze back to his forced fiancé.

The prince was staring at him with a rather impatient look, treading his way steadily across the floor back to Jake’s side, before he said in a monotone voice, “When you’re done, English. I’d like your full attention.” He said, treating Jake like some form of disobedient puppy when his gloved fingers carded through his hair. Jake scowled at this as his tussled hair was made even worse by the man’s prying fingers, and a shiver of disgust left him when those once soft fingers scratched their way down his stubble. Dirk looked appreciative of the finer features on the man, and just as soon as his hand was there it was once again gone and giving Jake the space he needed.

 He ambled his way over to the pair he had captured, taking note at the way Jake’s eyes were glaring at anything but him. He poised himself next to Jade and enjoyed the way the princess eyed him like an animal. “I think you can help me in figuring out a fate for these two as well. I mean, a partner in the end does help the King in his overall decisions. I don’t have much use for them, but Prospitian hierarchy may be valuable in the long run, don’t you think?” Dirk baited, wanting to see what Jake would spit out.

  
And Dirk wasn’t at all disappointed in the way that Jake tensed up and casted those forest eyes onto him. A fiery rage was present in those irises, and Dirk fed off of that anger as Jake spat out, “You won’t touch a hair on their heads, you blasphemous dook.” He cursed. Dirk held up his hands in mock surrender as Jake’s venom was spat at him, and in a sarcastic tone said, “Oh, so he finally speaks. I was wondering if my brother hit you too hard, or if you were made of weaker bones than I first presumed.” He said, before squeezing Jade’s jaw and watching the way both Jake and the young heir glared daggers at him. “You never drank your milk when you were a kid, I’m surprised you haven’t broken yet. You always were the runt, weren’t you.” Dirk hummed, tilting Jade’s chin from one side to the other while scolding Jake.  
  
“You shut up and stop humiliating my brother!” Jade growled out through her clenched jaw, hating the way the man’s filthy fingers cradled her face like she was an antique. “He doesn’t rely on his brother to do his dirty work, unlike you. Seriously, sitting around on your butt while you send your brother to search for us? Talk about lazy-“ Jade was silenced with a harsh slap across her cheek, her bruised and pale face blotched up and swollen. Dirk was annoyed at this point, and with the way that Dave was holding back snorts it only made Dirk more peeved. Jade looked proud of herself despite the blow she received, and Dirk quickly smacked that look off of her face as well.  
  
Jake was struggling and trying to rise to his feet at the sight of his sister getting hit, his blood positively boiling at the sight. His eyes were narrowed dangerously as he challenged, “C’mon, why don’t you engage in proper fisticuffs with me instead of man handling the little lady. Are you Dersians truly this tactless, to believe that roughing around a woman is okay?” He spat, and Jade looked over at her brother and the way he was trying to rise to his feet. But the guards were on him in a minute, spears holding the man down as Dirk clicked his tongue in annoyance. The clicking seemed to be a bad habit, and a mighty annoying one at that. “Stay down, English. If anyone decides to run their mouth, I eradicate the annoyance. You’re lucky I do have class, and don’t rely on a sexist ideal of chivalry. Derse is good like that.” He said, before Jake looked confused at that.  
  
He sputtered out in response. “How the hell is sexism a part of you hitting my sister because you couldn’t handle the truth you babbling buffoon.” Jake drawled, before Dirk rolled his eyes and treaded his way over towards the unconscious form of John. “That’s a conversation for another night, honey.” He stated, kneeling down to admire the soft features on the unconscious heir’s face. He was slimming out into a more rugged shape, but his face still held the softness of a fair and just ruler untouched by the hell of war. Dirk wondered if he looked that pure before, until he was snapped out of his trance by Dave clearing his throat. The knight was standing over John, more towards the male’s side than Jade’s, and he stated in a skeptical tone. “You lost down there, dude?” he said, before Dirk rolled his eyes and rose to meet his brother’s eyes. “Nah, I was just checking out the prisoner. You think of any uses of them yet? They aren’t a threat yet, and so long as they remain separate and deep in different kingdoms, they never will.”  
  
Dave glanced down to John for a split second, the look in his eyes concealed by his shades. “Perhaps the girl can go to Alternia, and the heir sent across the sea to Beforus.” But growing up together in plague and disease brought brothers and sisters close, and Dirk instantly read the look in Dave’s features. It was soft, intrigued by the raven haired male. Dirk nudged Dave, leaning forward to mumble into his ear, and Dave’s attention was piqued as Dirk motioned to John, and then Jade, before the round shaded Strider merely grinned.  
  
 He clasped his brother’s hand and bumped armor with him in a side hug, and Jade looked flat out irked as the two discussed and grinned amongst themselves, motioning to the two kids like livestock, and soon she was huffing out, “Are you two going to keep motioning to me and John like some half priced mule at a carriage back market or are you two going to pretend to be stoic and mysterious while instead you’re a-“ Once again, Jade was cut off, but instead of a slap it was Jake hissing through his teeth at his sister.  
  
While the Prospitian King wanted nothing more than for Jade to finish her sentence, he quickly shook his head; the two Striders giving Jade a harsh look. She looked at Jake, then at the two, before scoffing and sitting back. She was normally much sweeter than this, but when you watch your cousin get knocked unconscious and you were outnumbered by three with only a pocket knife on hand? Then getting backhanded and talked to like a pedigree dog acting up? You’d be pretty damn mad too.  
  
Dirk grumbled out lightly as he looked over the three Prospitian royalty he had as his disposal, and with a cartful of prophets in the back, he was feeling rather confident. He looked over to the knights standing by the throne, tall and attentive, and he snapped his fingers to heel their attention. They held their arms up in a salute, and Dirk stepped over towards the second in command. “Have all of the valuables been ransacked from the village and castle?”  
  
“Sir yes sir!” The knight shouted, and Jake scrunched up his nose at the tactless display.  
  
“Have the horses been fed and loaded up, and do we have enough rations for a trip back to Derse with the prisoners?” “The preparations are nearly complete, sir!”  
  
“Are all of the troops staying behind in Prospit set up in their correct sentry locations?” “All of them have checked in and are ready for orders, sir!”  
  
Dirk thought for a moment longer, before he looked over at this tied up fiancé. “Jake, do you desire anything for the trip?” He said, before Jake merely gave him a cold look. “I would like my siblings to ride with me, and for you to stay as far away from me as possible you mindless brute.” He grumbled out, and while the guards were getting ready to raise their weapons to him, Dirk chuckled and merely motioned them down with his hand. “Fair enough, English. Egbert was scheduled to ride with you anyways. However, Harley will be kept elsewhere as we arrange plans with Alternia to see if a young witch will interest them.” He hummed out in thought, before motioning over to Dave. “I’ll ride on Maplehoof’s back, and Dave will keep watch on you and John.”  
  
Jade was panicked at the news of being sent to the brutal and ruthless species of trolls inhabiting the badlands of Alternia, hearing only horror stories of bright yellow eyes, sharp fangs, and terrifying horns. Their sickly grey skin was rumored to be the result of a horrible disease plaguing the area, and Jade felt ill at the thought of having to be one of their brides. She was growing up to be a witch, and not just any witch! A witch of space! She had so much ahead of her, and now she would be sitting in the lap of some sickly, disgusting monster!  
  
She looked like she was going to cry, because while she had John and Jake by her side now, she had no idea if when they left this room if she would ever be seeing them again. It was terrifying, and Jake looked just as disgusted and panicked at the thought. He has heard rumors of Alternian beasts ten times the size of normal animals, of the cannibalistic nature of their clan, and he was scared for Jade. Jake was going to look back at Dirk, his mind running a mile a minute as he tried to open his mouth to speak, yet the blonde was already turned back to his knights and addressing them with more minimal questions.  
  
Jake looked over at Jade with a blind terror in his expression, his eyes watering up as the severity of the situation struck the both of them. Not only was Prospit gone, but soon they would be too, split up to separate kingdoms and forced into a marriage they didn’t care for. He would be sitting on Dirk’s lap like a fancy pet, Jade’s fate was completely unknown, and John was in deep shit himself.  
  
Speaking of John, the blue eyed boy was slowly coming to as the room bustled with steady activity. He was slow in realizing where he was. The moment that he opened his eyes and made direct contact with the blurry form of his dear cousin, he looked like a scared rabbit. He took in the sight of Jake, knelt down and surrounded by what he could make out as blood, before he saw so much purple through his blurry eyes as he moved his head too fast. He couldn’t register anything around him, except that he felt sticky and cold, and that he was so scared.

He was quick to notice the cuffs on his wrist, keeping his hands lodged behind his back. And everything clicked into the place; Jade, the tunnel, and Jake. All he could hear was blood pounding in his ears, anxiety gripping his chest like a vice. He had blacked out, watching as Jade tried to drag him towards their ever looming freedom into open clearings before all faded from his consciousness. He was sick to his stomach, and must have looked it too as soon his cousin’s soft voice was drifting through his ears. “John, you’re awake!”

“Jade?” He tested his voice, finding it cracked and parched. He looked in the direction of the tones he was so used to hearing, and in a blur of color he could see her black hair matted and dirty. Her golden robes were so filthy, and he assumed he was in the same state as her from the way she was looking at him. “Yeah, John, it’s me. Listen, do me a favor and breathe, you’re like freakishly pale.” She said, eyeing Dirk and Dave warily as they both seemed to take interest in the rousing heir. John barely had registered that he was holding his breath, and the moment he got a good, deep inhale into his tired lungs, the world cleared up just a bit more. He was able to see the way Jade was glaring at something behind him, and with a quick look back at Jake his cousin looked so nervous and scared.

“Well if it isn’t dear aurora joining us again.” Dirk said, watching the way the yellow clad kid tensed up and turned his head back to look behind him. He was squinting up at them, as if trying to focus on the voices talking to him, and damn those were some blue eyes. Something about Prospits gave them such unusually bright eyes. “Wha…?” John drawled out, furrowing his eyebrows up into a tight knit.

“Don’t talk, chap. They aren’t worth a word off of your tongue.” Jake said, getting defensive with the way that Dave and Dirk were clearly amused and pleased with the boy in their own respective ways. They seemed to find his two younger company much more amusing than him now, and he knew a sharp tongue from either of them could spell disaster.

“No no, ‘chap’, you can talk to us. You’re going to be spending a hell of a lot of time in Derse, so you may as well get used to the locals. Friendly group once you look past the thieving and poverty riddling the streets like disease infested vermin.” Dave joked as Dirk took to other matters that required him with the guards. By the looks of things, and the way the guards and knights were steadily filing out, Jake suspected they didn’t have much time before they would be thrown onto carts and carried off to their miserable new lives.

“That. What? Who uses a metaphor like that?” John asked, seeming genuinely confused as to why the same band people who nearly split his head in two would be joking around with him. Even if it was obviously condescending towards him, who talked about their land like that? Was Derse really as bad as the reports said? John never really paid attention to that kind of stuff, thinking he still had longer before he would be betrothed to a different land and rule in the name of Prospit’s peace. But, even with John’s tendency to wander off in his thoughts, he was quick to snap back to reality as the man dressed in all red shrugged his shoulders.  
  
“People who have common sense and two eyes that have viewed Derse do.” Dave grumbled out, before a soft breath left his lips. “Whatever, you’ve got a long ride, Heir of Breath. Let’s keep the questions till then since I’m apparently the royal babysitter instead of my brother’s first knight.” Dave moaned in annoyance, before Jade already saw something amusing about the red clad Dersite. “You’re such a whiny baby.” She stated confidently, grinning at Dave as he casted a side glance at the young witch.  
  
“And you’re bossy and loud as fuck. I guess not every apple’s good in this bunch; it’s truly a disappointment to the brewers who decide to use our sorry asses in their cider.” He said, before both Jade and Jake rolled their eyes. John only snorted though in response, yet his throat was quick to disagree with the sound. He began to cough and hack, catching Dave’s attention rather quickly as Jade’s lips downturned into a frown. “John, hey John calm down. You’re gonna lose a lung! What kind of heir of breath would you be then?” She said, before John casted his cousin a nervous glance.  
  
“S-Shut up, ack-“ He managed to choke out, before Jade looked worried as blood began to speckle his hand. “Hey, apple guy, why don’t you stop gawking at the poor guy and get him some water!” She said, and the bossy tone had Dave shooting her a glare. “Planned on it, princess. Sheesh.” He grumbled, moving his cape to the side in order to fetch his leather water skin from his belt. He checked its contents, before moving over to the hacking boy.

Jake was mildly intrigued, and it was moments that this that he began to notice that Dave was actually extremely close to his siblings age. And acted like it too, on the cusp of responsibility while still retaining that gentle demeanor held by children. As Dave tilted the water into the parched boy’s throat, it was easy to see that Dave had a sense of tangible morals to him. Now, Jake may be thinking hopeful as it was his aspect, but it almost appeared as if he had mercy. Which, judging by the route his old friend took to secure Prospit, it was something Dirk lacked.

Dave took the skin back when John began to pull back, watching the way the boy cleared his throat. John licked his dry lips to moisten them back up. “So are you done coughing or what.” Dave asked, watching as the still nervous heir smacked his lips. “Yeah, but. Was that poisoned?” he asked, his voice nervous and tight with only a little hint of humor to it. “Yes, John. You caught me. I carry around a poisoned water skin with me at all times. I found it so much more useful than one filled with actually drinkable water, thinking to myself when in the hell’s name will I ever need something as basic as hydration.” Dave said, before he caught a dirty glance being shot down at him by Dirk.  
  
“Dave, keep the shitty metaphors to yourself. You’re a knight, act like one.” He said, standing tall and straight as some of the last of the guards gathered around the King. Dave soon was rising back up to his full height, the two Dersites sharing a look, before Dave strapped the water skin back onto his belt and went to stand behind Jade and John again. “Whatever you say, King of Heart.” Dave mumbled, crossing his arms in a defensive manner.

 

“Now, instead of meeting the needs of our prisoners that can be dealt with in the carriage, why don’t you gather said cattle up and lead them down to their respective rides.” Dirk commanded more than he asked, yet something caught his attention. Jake was rising to his feet, a desperate look hidden deep in the mask the Prospitian set up. “Wait, Dirk.” He said, before he was cut off by the deep grumbling tone of the respective man, “My King.” He corrected, enjoying the way that Jake shuffled and squirmed, before his voice dropped to a dangerous tone. “Pardon me, my King.” He stated, “Can I at least be allowed five minutes to bid farewell to my dear sister.”

“You’re barking up the wrong tree, princess.” Mumbled a guard sarcastically, chuckling with the rest of his small legion of familiars. “The High King will never grant such a foolish wish.” Sure, that dampened Jake’s spirits, until that venomously smooth voice cut off the soldiers as they laughed. “Five minutes.” He stated with a completely deadpan expression, causing Jake to look up baffled. “P-Pardon me?” he asked, and even Dave’s eyes were glued to the scene.

 “I said five minutes. Of course, you’re wasting time asking me to repeat myself and just cost yourself about 10 seconds of that, so I would hurry to get your goodbyes in.”

Everyone in the area was dead silent, until the reality of Dirk’s statement sunk in. Jake didn’t even bat a lash as he rose to his feet and practically ran to his cousins, falling to his battered and bloody knees as he felt the sharp storm of emotion cascading inside of him. “John, Jade.” He gritted out, John’s eyes filled with nervous fear and Jade’s with an anxiety too deep to soothe in just five minutes.

“Jake,” they parroted back, all of them overwhelming with emotion. “I’m so sorry, my good mates. I failed to keep you safe. I, I should have sent you immediately out with rations and with word of renforcements to Beforus. But by gods look at us.” He choked out, his eyes welling with tears.

“Jake, you tried your best, okay? You were under a lot of pressure, and I’m sure I can handle Alternia and whatever they have to throw at me.” Jade said, her throat tight with faux confidence, yet the tears flowing down her cheeks told a completely different tale. John looked shocked at the news, his head whipping over to look at his sobbing cousin, and the closest thing he’s had to a sister since Jane was married. “Wait, Alternia!?” he said, before Jake quickly looked to his timer as Dirk held up 4 fingers.

“John, I’ll. I’ll fill you in on that one, because apparently I shall be your travel mate to our new residence in Derse castle.” He said, and the look of confusion in John’s eyes spoke legions of how he was truly feeling. “We should just, I don’t know, say a few parting words. We don’t have much longer left with each other.” Jake argued, before looking over to Jade with raw and pure love in his scared expression. “My little Harley, I remember when I was told I was having a sister.” Jake began, catching the princess’s attention with a little smile.  
  
“At first I just wanted a long string taffy treat, but after I was briefed up on what that little shindig meant? I was ecstatic. Holding you in my arms was way better than said taffy treat, and ten times as sweet. You’ve grown up into such a powerful woman, I know you shall do us proper. I’m going to see you again, this isn’t a permanent goodbye.” He said, and as Dirk flashed three fingers, Jade looked nervous.  
  
“Gosh, you’re such a sap, Jake. Of course th-this isn’t goodbye, but. I’m scared, Jake. I don’t want to become bride to one of those snaggle-toothed monsters. The tame, much more civilized residents of Beforus are already bad enough! I can’t even imagine the horrors those…those savage monsters are!” She said, before Jake was quick to lean his head against hers in an attempt to comfort her. “Technically, she’s valuable, right Jake?” John piped in, his throat tight with anxiety and fear. “They won’t just kill her or hurt her. At the worst, you might just be some troll’s trophy. Maybe even you’ll be pampered as a-“  
  
“As a what, John? A pet!? A creature to pet and play with until you’re bored, and have them just sit in a room all day?” She asked, fists clenched to the point of being white. “Just. I can live through this, but don’t make it seem like it’s going to be good for me, is all I’m asking.” She sobbed out, making both John and Jake’s face fall.

 “I’m sorry, Jade.” John went back, correcting himself. “I really really am.” He said, before Jade looked at her cousin. Bright green met deep blue, and both of them shared such a long look. “Oh my god, I’m going to fucking miss you, you loser.” Jade said, her eyes scrunched up and nervous. “The feeling’s mutual, Jade.”

“Time’s up,” Dirk announced, “As sickeningly sweet as that was, time to get into the carriage. Dave, escort John and my dear companion into the coach led by Stormchasher. It’s waiting outside for our star guests.” Dirk stated, before he motioned the few measly guards he had next to him towards Jade. “Take her to Frost, I want her delivered to the borders of Alternia, and wait until I send note of their acceptance of my little peace treaty before bringing her to the capitol.” Dirk said, and as the guards scurried to get their jobs done as fast as possible, Jade looked so scared and nervous.  
  
“No, can’t we get five more minutes!?” Jade pleaded, before Jake felt a horrible stabbing guilt. Jade was being hauled up to her feet kicking and pleading, all of the snark and sass in her gone. She was terrified, surrounded by men she didn’t know with an unclear fate. “Please, I just want to hug my brother and cousin, please!” She chanted, before John and Jake watched in utter misery as she was dragged by the guards. “Jake, John! I love you! Don’t you two numbskulls d-do anything rash and dumb!” She called out, before Jake smiled sadly as he said, “I think we should be more worried about you my dear.”

Yet, before he could finish his statement, she was gone. That…That was honestly it. So long as Dirk remained in power, he would never see his sister again. Perhaps there was the chance of Dirk taking him along to Alternian visits, or the savage clan would reject his demeaning hospitality gift. But, with the dark clouds bleak and heavy overhead, Jake wasn’t sure how long his hope could stretch.

Dave waited until Jade had completely descended the stairs before he sighed in pure exasperation. “You heard the King. Can you all walk?” he asked, addressing the two males as they sat in utter stillness amongst themselves. It was disconcerting, seeing the lack of light in their eyes as they came to terms with what they saw and the reality they were about to face.

Jake was the first to rise up first, unsteady on his battered and bruised body, yet he was able to stand. He looked down at the sight of his poor cousin, staring in the spot Jade once was. “John, we must get going. Can you walk?” he asked, watching as John tilted his head up. His face held back the emotion he wanted to show, yet the trembling of his bottom lip said it all. “I think so.”

With unsteady footing, it was a heavy struggle for John to get back onto his feet, and took a bit of coaxing and assistance from Dave before he was able to even stand up. His head was still dripping blood, dirt and grime covering his matted hair, and he was a mess. He tested out walking forward, finding the task to be daunting yet able to be overcome. “Yeah, I’m okay. I just might fall, so uh, please keep me near a wall.” He pleaded, before Dave just shrugged.

“You can use me to keep your balance, if you really need to.” Dave suggested, a hand resting quietly on the handle of his blade as he began to lead the prisoners towards the carriage. John shook his head rather quickly, scrunching up his nose as he stated, “No no, I’m good,”  as he began to step on each foot, carefully measuring each step as he followed Dave, “I’m okay, just don’t let me fall down the stairs is all.” Jake snorted at this statement, making sure to stay just right behind John as they walked down the tricky steps. When he noticed that Dave was the only one who was guiding them, Jake was almost struck with the suicidal idea of running for his life. He even got so far as to glance around the familiar walls of his childhood sanctuary, before he noticed them. There were eyes in the shadows, watching their every move. Blimey, it was a rubbish idea to think that Strider was dumb enough to leave them in only the care of one supervisor.

The walk to the carriage was short and brief, save for the small break they had to take for John to dry heave. There was a very good chance he was concussed, with the way he was quickly losing focus and getting so sick. It was going to be a long trip at this rate. Jake helped John keep going, and eventually as they approached the carriage that was meant to transport him, Dave accepted a key from one of the guards. He walked forward and looked at John in the eyes, making a turnaround motion with his hands.  
  
“I doubt you want your hands bound behind you for the majority of this ride, so just turn around and let me move them. Also, if you need to get your business done, now’s the time to do it. We’ll only have a break in another 6 hours, if the horses are at full stamina today.” He said, before John nodded his head. He was nervous about turning around, yet he did, allowing the knight to unlock his cuffs before rubbing his wrists. “Um…can I at least get a little privacy…?” He asked, before Dave raised an eyebrow.

 “Uh, just go against a tree or something. We aren’t letting you out of our sights anyways so no.” Dave said, taking the key and unlocking Jake’s cuffs. The tall man looked around at the various carriages, his eyes scanning the crowd for any hope of having one last glimpse of his sister. Yet all he saw was Dirk at the head of the caravan, sitting on the back of a beautiful white mare. It wasn’t fitting at all for a monster so impure.

Dave was as patient as he could while he waited for the two to empty their chambers, sighing as John apparently took his dear sweet time in the ordeal. “Alright, no more stalling. It’s time to get the cuffs back on.” The Knight stated, and as Jake sauntered up and held his wrists out in front of him, the Dersian was quick to re-attach and lock the cuffs before ushering the fallen King into the car. With John, he took a moment to make sure they were on right, before motioning him into the back as well.

“You truly have no patience, do you old sport.” Jake commented, before Dave merely shrugged his shoulders in response. He wasn’t in a talking mood quite yet, especially when it comes to dealing with angsty and whiny Prospitians. He heard the various shouts of the coachmen as they reared their horses and set off in front of him, the monotonous squeak of wheels and stomping of boots background noise for the adjusted knight.

Soon the carriage rattled and gave an awful squeak as the horses began their journey, the smoke of the dying fires still billowing up into the air around them. The rain was just another pattering on the stone of their path, and as Jake stared out the window at his fleeting world, he was scared. He failed his town, failed his people. But worst of all, he failed John and Jade, and the state of the kingdoms dangled delicately in the balance. Nothing was going to be the same again, and he was scared of the dark path he was walking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I'm sorry for taking so long with this chapter. I've had an extremely busy summer, and just tonight I've finally hunkered down and continued to write! I have a decently long chapter for you today, and I hope to have one more up before the end of summer. After spending 4 hours hunkering down and working on finishing this chapter tonight, I can happily present to you another piece of A King Fallen! Thank you so much for reading!


	4. This Winding Road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not only am I embarrassed at how long it took me to muster up the energy to write and post this, but I didn't even quality check the work that I just did. I had forgotten many key details I had already wrote down, such as the history between Jake and Dirk, and much of their backstory. I had forgotten important facts, and may have confused any of my new readers by adding contradicting information to the story. I am extremely sorry for this, and shall be putting more rigorous background checks before I post out to the public.
> 
> I would also like to formally apologize for the long wait, and present to you a new chapter of A King Fallen! There is a bit more insight to the world these characters are living in, and how their current circumstances are playing out! I hope you all enjoy this, and I'll hopefully be able to continue pushing out updates in a steady manner. AND that they will meet my quality checks.

As the carriage rattled from side to side, it was impossible for Jake to get any rest during the long trip. Despite the carriage being used to transport royalty, the exterior was merely for show and the inside was barely functional at best. The wheels squeaked, the body bounced about and jostled the injured Prospitians with each rebound. Jake couldn’t rest his head without having it knock about all painfully, and as exhaustion pulled his face down into somber silence, John was doing far worse. He had a bucket clutched in his pale white fingers, the contents of their last meal settling at the bottom and reeking up the chamber.

 His head was lolled to the side, the blood on his head crispy and dark as it matted to his wet and greasy locks. The carriage smelled awful with John’s vomit stewing about inside of it, and Jake honestly tried to ignore it. He found himself gagging a few times over the foul smelling bucket himself, earning a pitiful look from Dave as the knight leaned against his sword. “Oh, and I don’t suppose my cousin’s heave isn’t affecting you, Mister Strider.” He said, a sour look on his face as Dave exchanged glances between the stubborn man.

 With a flare of his nostrils, Dave began pulling his hair back and scrunched his thick blonde locks into a manageable ball, nimble fingers picking at the strands before a band was wrapped about the bun on his head. It was messy at best, yet out of his face as he let the faint breeze blow against his wet forehead. “I’m used to some pretty disgusting things, you know. Dersites aren’t as soft as you fragile Propsitians, and I can proudly say my nose is accustomed to an entire list of foul odors. You ever clean horse shit from a barn in the middle of a sweltering summer drought, or have to go into Dirk’s room? You royal asses probably aren’t used to that sweet Queen of yours dishing out punishment like an all you can eat buffet. Although it’s more-so a feeder’s dream, shoveling each cruel and unusual dish down our throats and fattening us up for so much as talking out of line until our stomachs and chests were ready to burst from the crammed dishes. Bro was a cruel man, my friends. Be glad you never had to face his wrath.” He said, before Jake merely rolled his eyes at the Striders unasked for statement.

 “I inquired a short answer, not an entire list and life story about your peculiar feeding kink.” He said, before Dave felt his annoyance spike at the arrogance Jake was showing. “Well, if you haven’t noticed, traveling is boring as fuck when you aren’t on the back of a horse; especially when you’re stuck with an asshole of a queen and their vomiting cousin in the back. If you ask me, Dirk should be the one having to listen to your royal bitching.” Dave finalized with a turn of his head, looking out the thin window. Outside, Dirk was trotting alongside the carriage with a cynical look on his features as usual, stoic and controlled as he led Maplehoof and the caravan of Dersians towards their home.

 “Man, that should be me; riding on the back of Hephaestus, the wind in my hair as I patrol the scenery. Maybe I’ll ask him when we stop for a break in approximately three hours.” He stated simply, before John groaned loudly and leaned his head back against the hard seats of the passenger. “Ugh, we get it already! You like to complain about your more successful brother. Can you tone down the depression before we have to get out the handkerchiefs for your poor self?” John openly mocked, causing Dave’s gaze to turn towards the once ill-stricken prince. “Oh, so you finally pulled your head out of the bucket long enough to throw shade at me,” Dave started, yet the slang was lost on John as Dave continued, “I liked you better when your head was in a bucket and you were shitting up the air I breathe.”

 “I’m going to pretend I know what you meant by shade, but I have to say I liked it a lot better when you weren’t storming our kingdom and having the gall to waste air by existing as a sad excuse of a knight.” John retorted, causing the man in front of him to seriously reconsider his training towards being chivalrous and respectful to royalty. “You’re going to be a royal pain in my ass, aren’t you Egbert. I’ll have you know I graduated top of my peers since I was seven years old, and I’ve been involved in numerous secret raids on Alternia, and I have over 300 confirmed kills.”

 John had a good laugh at that statement, so much so that he merely had to duck back into his bucket from how hard he was rolling with glee. “Oh, oh god Dave. You are something hilarious,” John teased, “While you may have trained to be a knight since seven, you aren’t old enough to have been christened through the honorable and hard working path. Was Derse so desperate for a military that you forewent waiting until you were twenty one? Or does Derse lack the honor and integrity for hard work?” With the way John was poking around, Dave was feeling mildly hot under the collar, and it wasn’t just because of the sun filtering through the window.

 “If you had half a brain, and the other half wasn’t knocked around like a bongo, perhaps you’d stop to think I purchased my armor, weapon, and war horse to become a knight myself. Custom made, too, with coals and ashes from The Land of Heat and Time. I fetched those fuckers myself, and knighted myself righteously. I’m still training to this day, yet I’ve got the title.” Dave paused, before adding on, “That, and I was just so awesome nobody wanted to wait to see me become a Knight. So here I am, a fully fledged Knight of Time, in the flesh. Please forego the autographs, I’m a real busy man and don’t have time to squander among my fans.” He said in pride.

 “Uck, if you were any more full of yourself, I’d have to worry about dislodging your head from your asshole.” John said as Dave gave him an amused smile as he retorted, “At least I wouldn’t have to listen to your pre-pubescent voice and see your awful buck teeth.” Jake even had to look over at Dave in shock at that blatant insult, and John felt his face grow hot as he covered his mouth in a sheepish manner. “I am not pre-pubescent! And, I. My teeth are fine!” He barked out, before Dave just continued his grinning in amusement.

 With a slouch of his shoulders, John was turning his head towards the side and staring out at the window as he tucked his teeth tightly under his thinly pressed lips. Jake looked at the shrunken posture of his dear cousin, before looking over at Dave with a bemused expression. “Now, ol’ chap, was that truly necessary in the grand scheme of things?” he inquired, before Dave just shrugged his shoulders in a dismissive response. “You all were just having a good banter, it was uncalled for to bring John’s appearance and attributes into this.” Jake scolded, before Dave just turned back to the King.

 “He was the one who opened his mouth for something other than projectile vomiting everywhere.” The knight said, scrunching up his nose as the stench of John’s puke hit him again. He just had to think about vomit, didn’t he? “Did you not listen to him trying to rip on my entire life? I think the little princess here can handle a comment about his gangly teeth and squeaky voice.” Dave stated, before Jake just gave him an increasingly cold look.

“I haven’t the slightest idea what the activity of ripping is, but I say that your childish comebacks truly dictate who is in the wrong here.” Jake openly scolded, before Dave just felt an exhausted headache pulse at his temples. He had to lean forward and rub at the pressure points, his face scrunched up in the most annoyed expression he could muster. “I cannot even believe that I have to sit here and be scolded by a glorified nanny. You’re going to make a damn good Queen at this rate if you keep doting over me like a mother hen scolding their chick or some stupid analogy like that.” He said, causing Jake to narrow his eyes.

 “If I were indeed a mother hen, my feathers would be suitably ruffled at this point. And you could be expecting a sharp peck at your eyes. Except I’m not a poultry bird, and you aren’t one either. I just request you be less of a total asshole towards my cousin, since I don’t feel like listening to you for an entire trip, and neither does John.” Jake said blatantly, looking at Dave dead in the eyes (shades) as he crossed his arms. “If you could be so kind and keep your mouth closed, you won’t expect the slightest of peeps out of us. Frankly, it’s annoying that you’re attempting to banter us as much as you are. Why are you so talkative, anyways?”

 “Maybe I just like having someone to talk to, or something to say. Maybe I’m what the kids call sociable, not that you royal pain in the asses know what that is outside of your servants and prestigious noble friends you see once a month. But you know what, fine. If you want to make this the most boring carriage ride in the history of Derse then be my guest. You won’t hear one word out of me.” Dave promised with a wave of his hand, which caused the two Prospitians to let out a collective sigh of relief. As the seconds stretched on into minutes, Dave was visibly fidgeting as he trained his eyes out the window with a restlessness that just couldn’t be bottled.

 After a solid thirty minutes, he had to butt in with a statement of, “Looks like it might rain, which means sleeping arrangements tonight will be hectic, if tangible at all.” As he gathered no response from his party, he could hear the sigh from their lips as the two black haired men traded exasperated looks. “You really can’t be quiet, can you?” John asked, turning that exasperation full forced towards Dave. Instead of getting a usually snappy response, Dave merely shrugged as he stared out at the window, seeing the sight of the clouds rolling in and blocking the first traces of sundown.  
  
“Nah, I can if I want to, but I don’t prefer to be quiet. I learn a hell of a lot more if I talk to people. And time passes by a lot quicker when I’m not so focused on always tracking it.” He explained, before leaning his head on the carriage and trying to control the way it bounced painfully about. “Seriously, it isn’t the end of the world to talk to me. You’ll be lucky if Dirk lets you talk at all around him, the dude is all sorts of control hungry. By the way English, good fucking luck with that one.” He said as Jake’s lips grew into a tight line.

 “You know that heathen better than I do at this point,” Jake cautiously began, “What is he keeping me alive for? Is this Queen statement merely a sick joke between you Dersites and you’re only keeping me alive for dastardly purposes?”

Now that comment got Jake a chuckle from Dave, his gloved hand wiping the steady trail of perspiration from his forehead. “Far from it, my friend,” He began, “Dirk has actually been harboring this homo thing for you since puberty caused his balls to drop. Kid grew up to be as straight as this road.” Dave teased, looking out the window at Dirk once again. “I can’t say much about the guy, these past few years have distanced us a bit, but I doubt he plans on killing you or anything. If I had to make a bet, I’m sure he’ll legitimately make you his wife.”

This did little to soothe Jake’s nerves as he gazed out at the rolling pastures in front of him, the clouds thick and heavy with rain as the carriage limped and stuttered over each and every bump in the road. “Golly, I knew Strider to be that type, but I didn't think that he truly held feelings for me.” Jake muttered, before he truly had to think about it. Has Dirk always had this crush and fascination with him? Sure, they had fooled around a bit in the past, and Jake said some embarrassing things in the throes of passion, but had Dirk actually believed that Jake would be his Queen? He thought back on earlier that day, with Dirk coming up to him soaked in blood. He did mention wanting Jake to be his instead of dead on the floor, but how was Jake supposed to receive it! He hadn't seen Dirk since they were 18, and suddenly he was near thirty and proposing to him with his Army General's head on his flag? It didn't make sense. He never even took Dirk as the kind to be in love with him! The last time he'd seen Dirk was less than romantic, but perhaps when they were 14?

The second to last time he had ever seen Dirk was just before the famine struck the kingdom of Derse. That was when they were 14 years old; young, reckless, free. Jake was still as awkward as ever, just beginning to learn proper etiquette for a future King. He had grown taller, but compared to Dirk, he was so short. His friend had hit a growth spurt around thirteen years old, growing a couple inches and effectively securing his place as taller than Jake. The two boys were neck and neck just before that. He was teased about it for quite some time. Dirk would take anything Jake found interesting and hold it far above the prince’s head, smiling that insufferable smile as he watched the shorter kid struggle to reclaim his snatched possession.

Jake felt a grin creep onto his lips as he pondered those old memories. Dirk would follow him around nearly everywhere, a sword in his hand as he stood always alert and ready for danger. Jake constantly had to remind him to lower his sword, or that unlike in Derse, it was considered rude to have unsheathed weapons inside the castle. It seemed amusing to most other people, having Dirk be so possessive over Jake. Perhaps that was a sign of something a little more than friendly?

They would take off on the backs of their horses, galloping across the countryside with bows in hand as they hunted big game. Dirk was skilled with his shot, but Jake held a magic in his fingers as his arrows always seemed to hit their mark. With their kills loaded up onto their steeds, Jake felt a rush of pride as he led Dirk through town and let everyone see his accomplishments in bringing down a large boar. It was a fierce creature, refusing to go down even with three arrows lodged into it. They had to bail from their horses, lest threatening the creatures at the expense of the boar’s rage. Dirk landed directly into the mud, his garments soiled as his mottled mare took charge in the opposite direction.

It was a tough haul, and with only a few nicks and scratches from the falls, they were able to properly take down the beast without their horses prancing and thrashing in a nervous manner. It was a fun time, and at the end of the day, Jake’s grandmother allowed Dirk to skin the creature and pack up the skins and dried meat to bring back to his kingdom. Dirk stayed for three more days after that, spending every waking moment he could with Jake. He attended each of his practices, he sparred with Jake until they were boneless heaps of sweat collapsed onto the dirt, and smiled a true genuine smile throughout the time he was there.

Jake was always content to have his friend by his side, especially since he was one of the best warriors around to spar with! He was always bested by a bit though, Dirk being just a bit faster, and Jake often found himself pinned to the dirt with a dagger up to his neck as Dirk smiled down at him. On the last day, Jake had finally managed to pin the slippery rascal down, causing Dirk’s unfaltering smirk to fall from his face when he realized he finally lost. Jake was swelling with pride as he kept Dirk down under him, his legs tightly pressing against his sides as Jake boasted, “Look who’s finally on the ground now, Dirk!” He called out triumphantly to the flabbergasted man.

It was only a moment before Dirk was reacting, his head whipping to the side as he rushed to struggle the stubborn prince off of him. “Alright alright, English! We get it, you won. You can get off of me now.” He was poker facing it, a careless façade put up despite the way his cheeks were growing rosier by the moment. It didn’t go unnoticed by Jake. “Why, look at you, Dirk. Practically as red as a rose! If I knew I had exerted you as much as I did, I should have let myself go easy on you! You’re losing your game.”

With a push, Dirk was knocking the ecstatic boy off of him, his eyes containing a hint of distress as he seemed to stare anywhere but at his sparring partner. “Bro, I was just letting you win when you caught me by surprise. If I had my full focus on you, your ass would be on the ground right now.” He swore colorfully, voice lacking the usual smooth tone he held as he rose to his feet faster than a rabbit. Jake watched his friend’s behavior with curious green eyes, and he stumbled up onto his feet himself while dusting his tunic off.

“Is everything alright, mate? Did you bump your head on the way down, you’re acting awfully strange. Is this the result of your ego finally being crumbled down in front of you? I had more faith in you, Strider. My idolization was in vain, you are penetrable like everyone else.” Jake stated with a teasing tone, and Dirk merely shrugged his shoulders as he worked a kink from his neck. “I am still as impenetrable as always, English. When you can beat me as I give you my all? Then my ego will be ripe and ready for you to penetrate.”

“Ah Dirk, you have quite a way of words to give your tone an air of gay-ness about it.” Jake teased.

Dirk replied with a sly smile, walking over and patting Jake on his back as they began to tread towards the castle for some grub before Jake had to go back to classes. “Only the most elegiac of poetry for my page’s delicate ears. Now let’s go smash on food.”

Now, those were the days. Jake didn’t even realize he was daydreaming until the sound of snapping fingers drew him out of his stupor, and he was turning his attention back to the knight of time in front of him. The man had a slightly curious expression, but was wise to keep his mouth shut about the dopey expression the King no doubt wore. But the peace stewed for only so long, before Dave was leaning back and inquiring, “You really didn’t know about his feelings, huh? It was sort of obvious to see after he told me he was gay, and I was shocked that I passed up the cues as well. But that’s just how Dirk is.”

Jake contemplated this for merely a moment more, before John was turning back from his spot and asking in a curious note, “Does gay run in the family? Are you gay? Is your dad or mom gay, is that how you wind up being gay? Is it a disease, can it be cured?” John asked, before Dave was raising a single eyebrow up at John’s curious inquiries. “Uh. No, no, no, no, no, and hell no it can’t be cured. Gay is just a thing basically, a preference for penis. Why are you so curious, Jonathan, are you perhaps curious about the gay way?”

With red tingeing the tips of his ears, and his cheeks a rosy color, John was quick to deny the statement. “Oh hell no! I’m not gay at all, I was just wondering because I don’t want Jake to catch anything that can’t be cured!” The buck toothed heir said in defense. Dave wasn’t buying it, but he figured he had given John a hard enough time, “Alright alright whatever, I get it bro. You wanted to know more so you asked; I’m not going to question your complete and utter straightness. Gay isn’t a disease, gay doesn’t run in the family, gay isn’t treatable and I’m not gay either. That’s the bottom line.”

John seemed to deflate visibly from his tense and poised stance, his questions answered and his masculinity intact. But Jake still held a few questions about the “condition” of homosexuality, and asked a few small questions on when Dirk began to discover his feelings for him. By the time Dave was wrapping up his broad explanation, the sky was taking on a dark due as the sun dipped below the horizon. John was leaned against his cousin as the cart’s bouncing came to a halt as orders were barked out from Dirk.

Dave seemed to be drawn from his explanation as he realized the horses came to a halt, and he grunted lightly as he rested his hand on his sword while rising from the cramped seat. His legs felt slightly akin to brittle as he wobbled his way to the door, turning back to John and Jake. “Looks like we’re about to set up camp, so feel free to get out and stretch your legs. It’s up to Dirk if he’s going to be undoing your restraints for more than a few moments, but you are assured a bathroom break.” He said, before opening the door of the carriage and immediately migrating towards his brother’s side.

Jake stared out at the sight of the man he once knew, his eyes taking in his features and the way they curved downwards into near permanent frown lines. This was nothing like the kid he grew up with, but his chest swelled with a nostalgic happiness at all of the memories and knowledge he relived and gained during their seven hour trip. He almost caught himself staring, until John bumped his side with his shoulder. “Hey, dude. Stop giving your boyfriend goo goo eyes, or at least save it for the inevitable honey moon when he forces you to become his bride.” John helpfully reminded.

“Aw golly, you’re right. I just can’t help but remember the man he once was. He was honorable, courageous, and prideful; everything that I looked up to and aspired to be. I can’t even say what form of monster has been bred in his heart, but I’m allowed to reminisce about my childhood friend, aren’t I?”

“Not when it gets you caught with a dopey love struck look on your face! He’s the enemy, Jake. A heathen that took our kingdom from right under our noses! I’m no expert on these kinds of things but I think it’s pretty unhealthy to be “reminiscence-ing” at a time like this! Keep your head, Jake. I can’t keep reminding you about this kind of stuff.” John lectured, before hushing up as Dirk turned to face them and began to tread his way over.

Jake’s posture remained calm, yet the way his jaw clenched tightly was certainly an indicator of the rage brewing just below his skin. He may have been remembering good memories, but seeing that empty expression, the way his body flowed effortlessly was just a reminder of the hardened killer that Dirk had become. He watched as Dirk fished out another small key, before gripping Jake’s wrists and unfastening the stubborn cuffs on his arms.

Jake kept the silence going, stepping back quietly as he rubbed the soreness out of his wrists. He watched as John received the same treatment, the restrains falling from his wrists and leaving the Heir free to move his arms and wrists once again. Dirk stepped away without another word, and as he walked towards the steadily growing campsite, John risked an angry scowl at the back of the man’s head. He stuck his tongue out as well, and Jake felt just a hint of joy at being with his cousin. Actually, it was more so an affectionate inferno bubbling deep in his being. But he didn’t have time to think that for long, because just as soon as John had stuck his tongue back into his mouth, Dirk was turning around and giving them a solid stare.

John felt a submissive fear run through him, illogically thinking that Dirk somehow had eyes in the back of his head and had witnessed him mocking the King of Heart. But as Dirk merely motioned them over with a call of, “Come on,” Jake and John were quick to cross their arms and take their dear sweet time in deciding to move. Jake stepped forward and kept up his languid pace, John trailing behind as they went over to the middle of the ring of tents.

“Jake, your task is to get firewood. John, you start and stoke the fire to keep it going. Stretch your legs and arms; we’re not stopping tomorrow until I can see the castle of Derse.” Dirk said, before grabbing Jake’s arms as his bride was quick to try and saunter past the man. He gave it a tight squeeze as the darkness of his shades pierced through Jake.“Also, if you even think of running, we’ll be making sure you won’t be walking again for quite some time. Do I make myself clear?” His tone held a threat in it, his eyes narrowed in disdain at the way Jake’s nose crinkled up in distain. “Whatever you say, your majesty,” he said in repulsion, before Dirk was soon walking off to help Dave out in pitching their large tent.

“I can’t even believe this guy.” Jake said simply, before John huffed out a noise of agreement. Yet with all that was going on, Jake did silently appreciate the chance to walk out in the fresh open air of the prairies. There weren’t many trees for him to scavenge by, yet as he scraped through the land he was able to collect a hefty amount of lumber to use. They would need far more, but the multiple trips he took served well to clear his spinning head. He would come back to see John stoking a small flame, growing more intense with each visit.

He took a moment longer as the sky grew dark with nightfall, watching the stars shine ever so brightly above before being engulfed by the bleak clouds above. He tried to peer into the rapidly expanding clouds, but found the grey haze shut tight to his eyes. As he stared, he nearly cringed at the feeling of a droplet landing on his forehead, which soon turned into a downpour onto his head. He swore loudly, turning tail and beginning to run back through the prairies as the soil turned to mud beneath him. He kept the firewood clutched tight, and as he neared the camp, a tarp had been strung up over the fire to keep it from being doused by the rain. The smoke billowed to the top of the tarp, gathering in a mock parody of clouds before the wind carried them to the edge and over the sides of the fabric.

John sat huddled by the fire, his cheeks a soft red from the glow of the flames nipping away at his skin. He laughed at Jake when he arrived, amused at the soaked appearance of his cousin. “Holy crap, it looks like someone spent too long out in the field! Gosh, you’re a mess right now Jake.” John teased as a few others chuckled along with the Heir. Jake felt his face grow hot despite the chill seeping into his water logged bones.

“Oh silence you buffoon, I was merely trying to enjoy the fresh air while I fetched fuel for the fire when those blasted clouds finally gave out on me! At least I’ve procured enough to last us through supper, so count your blessings when your stomach is full and warm and remember the sacrifices I had to make.” Jake jabbed towards John.

“Oh, I’ll try to remember that alright!”

It was a comfortable stretch between them, until suddenly Jake was jumping as something thick and heavy was draped over his shoulders. The weight of it he recognized as a warm blanket, and as he wrapped his hands around it, he looked behind him and saw Dirk walking back into his tent. Peculiar. Jake held the blanket around him, a bit hesitant to accept such a nice blanket, before he remembered that it was the very least Dirk could be doing in return of kidnapping him. With a huff, Jake was sitting down on a stack of hay since the ground was far too soggy to use. He adjusted himself as he listened to the banter of the guards around him, occasionally catching Dave and John exchanging a few words as well, before Jake felt a wave of drowsiness hit him. He had a very long day; complete with the overthrow of his Kingdom, getting thrown around like a rag doll, having to be separated from his little sister for possibly the rest of his life, and riding in a carriage for a good seven hours.

Jake was completely and utterly wiped out, with his head beginning to droop down. He was handed a bowl of warm soup, but even that did little to wake him up as he mechanically raised and lowered the spoon to and from his mouth. He didn’t even register John talking to him until he was halfway into a conversation, delirious and hazy as he placed the empty bowl aside. When did he eat all of that again? For a moment, he felt firm hands take his own before he was being carefully plucked from the stack of hay, and he was looking up and blinking the fuzz from his eyes as he stared at Dirk.

The man was without his shades, his orange eyes scanning the doped out King, before his old smirk surfaced back onto his lips after so long. He looked so much more mature than Jake remembered, with a chiseled jaw and a dusting of freckles across his cheek. Jake found himself smiling slightly, nostalgia once again catching him by surprise as he walked with Dirk towards the large tent in the clearing. As he looked at the makeshift bed, made of soft blankets and furs, Jake nearly melted at the thought of something comfortable instead of an itchy pile of hay or the hard bench of a carriage.

As Dirk let go of his hands to unclasp his cape from his back, Jake soon waddled his way to the pile and let himself fall into its embrace. It was so soft and comfortable, he didn’t even care he was still head-to-toe in heavy gear and had his boots still on. As he drifted in and out of sleep, Dirk was considerably less and less dressed until he was merely in a pair of casual briefs and a white dress shirt when Jake last checked. In fact, when did Jake himself get his gear off and was nestled in his pants and shirt? He couldn’t remember, but as he felt a pair of arms around him, he barely questioned the owner as he felt safer than he had in a long time.

The smell of oranges and spice drifted into his nose, a fragrance that Dirk always wore even as a kid. It was practically embedded into his skin at this point, and the very sense of it eased Jake’s mind into a comfortable slumber. He let the rain pattering onto the tent be his lullaby, as the warmth radiating from Dirk was his safety.

Dirk was merely glad that Jake hadn’t put up a protest about his sleeping arrangements, although if there truly was an argument, Dirk was sure Jake wouldn’t last long enough to properly hold his stubborn façade when he was tired. The proof was in the pudding, as they say, when Jake’s breathing evened out and Dirk felt his muscles relax in his arms. Dirk would love to sleep, but with a raging case of insomnia as his heart practically burst through his chest? He would be content with holding his love in his arms for tonight. He could think then, think of everything that had happened today.

He was sure he made the right decision. Derse and Prospit would flourish with the connected resources; he could use the bountiful surplus Prospit horded to put food into his people’s mouths. Famine and disease would lower, and the kingdom would enter an era of prosperous growth. Yes, Dirk was completely certain this was for the best for both kingdoms. His statistics were never off, and his plans hardly ever failed.

 

_This was for the best, whether Jake agreed with it or not. He would come to accept it in due time._


	5. Timaeus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit, it didn't take me another five months to post something? Only one this time? I must be on a roll here.   
> In all reality, I have had a lot of time to sit down and write since I developed a nasty case of Tonsilitis, and can proudly bring to you all a new chapter of A King Fallen!

    Jake felt hot. His back was practically burning, his face a flushed red as he felt sweat dripping down his neck. The furs and blankets stuck right to his body, as well as the shirt clinging stubbornly to his form. His dreams that night were plagued with the sounds of harsh panting and lewd moans, with strong arms wrapped around him as he rapidly plummeted towards climax. He heard a voice as smooth as silk whispering empty promises in his ears about love and marriage. He screamed his vows back on a silver tongue, before all went white hot around him.

There was no moans, no exertion, not even sound at all around him as he felt his conscious groggily catching up to him. He felt claustrophobic in the grasp of whatever had him, and he pushed at the toned arms around him while he surfaced to reality.

Jake’s eyes were wide open as he realized that the same man in his dreams was currently holding him tight to his chest, and the gravity of the situation began to crash upon him. He was smoldering hot as he attempted to peel himself away from Dirk’s iron grip, yet the King persisted in his hold. Jake’s front was pitched up into a rather impressive tent, the dream’s effects more than faintly apparent on his body. He felt weak, honestly; one day of seeing Dirk and buried memories were already coming back to haunt him.

He held steady for just a bit longer, Dirk’s breathing deep and raspy in his ear as he waited for his anxiety to calm itself. Just sitting back and letting his mind race was also doing wonders for soothing Jake’s heat stricken skin, but the thoughts of his attraction still weighed heavily on his mind. He had a boner in his pants for the lunatic who took over his kingdom covered in the blood of innocent people! That just seemed fucked up to him, old memories or not.

 He finally managed to slide Dirk’s fingers from his side and wiggle his way out, the thin shirt he wore under his clothes positively drenched. He sighed and unbuttoned it, allowing it to slide from his shoulders as he let his red skin feel the cold bite of morning air. It was muggy and uncomfortable out from the rain, yet Jake didn’t mind too much. He was used to these humid climates.

He braved a glance outside of the tent, only to see the clearing completely empty save for a soldier who passed out on a log. Jake looked at the horses resting their weary legs, gnawing at the grass in the areas they were able to roam at. It would be so easy to grab John and run, jump on the back of a horse and attempt to claim their kingdom. But they were two against two thousand, the Derse troops having already secured his throne room by now and begin their rein over the peasants he once knew personally. It truly was hopeless, and not even a Knight in shining armor could fix this one.

He slowly stepped away from the curtain as the thought of John reminded him. He didn’t know where his cousin was! He glanced around the camp, seeing no sign of him, and he felt a wave of exasperation hit him. He scanned the area, before stepping back into the tent that Dirk and Dave set up. Now that he thought about it, this tent was far bigger on the outside. He squinted at the interior, before treading forward and pushing his hand against one of the walls.

His hand easily slid through it, and the wall proved to merely be a divider as he lifted the tarp up carefully. Lo and behind, the sight of blonde and black caught his vision. In another corner of the spacious tent was where his cousin and Dave had holed up. John was sleeping soundly on the warm furs Dave had collected, yet the Strider was leaned against a wooden chair as his eyes were lazily closed. He looked alert, ready to move at a moment’s notice, and Jake wouldn’t be surprised at all if the Strider was merely pretending to be asleep.

He sighed as he brushed down his pants, the persistent problem he had catching his attention almost immediately, before he felt a rush of embarrassment. “Time to take care of this,” he absently thought as he stepped outside of the tent. He trudged through the sticky mud and found some foliage to shield himself in, before Jake released a small puff of air as he got down to business. It was merely a matter of moments before he was stroking along the base of his cock, teasing the head with well placed strokes of his thumb. It felt pretty good, but this wasn’t pleasure. It was merely a matter of getting rid of the pressing matters in his pants.

He was quiet, his eyes trying to remain closed as he attempted to think of anything else besides being kidnapped and held against his will. Especially since the face that kept popping up was the very one who came to him coated in blood and- shit, that shouldn’t have affected him like that. Jake English felt like a sick man as he managed to tip himself off at the thought of Dirk, before he shamefully wiped his hands off in the leaves and pulled his trousers back into their respectable position.

He stepped back inside only to notice that Dave had gone back to lie in the furs with John, his back turned to the heir as John slept soundly. Jake glanced to the side of the tent and stepped over to a water bucket sitting inconspicuously. After checking the color and smell, Jake decided it was clean as he dipped his hands in and began to rinse them off. He watched the dirt and grime slip into the water at his fingertips, and felt a trace of depression burrowing its nasty claws into his neck.

He splashed his face with the water, before alleviating some of the grease in his hair by sticking his head in as well. By the time he was done he was rubbing his head raw with one of Dirk’s shirts, his face feeling much less grimy, and he felt he had dawdled enough. The sun had barely made its colors known across the horizon, and Jake still had a good amount of time to sleep. But the very thought of crawling back into that bed left him with a bitter taste in the back of his throat,

So he did what any sensible kid would do, and he climbed a tree.

Literally.

It was tall and crooked, with a twisting tree trunk that was just bumpy enough to climb and steady enough to comfortably lie in. It was as tall as it was climbable, with many branches spread along the sky and reaching upwards with bare arms.  He had always been a climber when he was younger, and he was subtly glad that fact didn’t change with his age. Since the bark had retained hints of moisture, his boots scrabbled along it as he hoisted himself higher and higher.

When he was near the very top, the breeze caught in his hair and ruffled the slightly damp black locks, his fingers picking through them as he sorted them into a completely random pattern. He eventually gave up as he was able to see the horizon from the top of the tree, prairies stretching long distances before him. It was relaxing, seeing the sight of the colors slowly changing in the distance. It may be muggy, but the breeze fanning over his body left him feeling vaguely comfortable as the bark of the tree dug into his back.

Sure, it hurt a little. But he could honestly rest like this for hours. His eyes began to slide closed as thoughts buzzed in his head, falling into a static as his body overtook a dreamlike trance. As he fluttered his lashes one more time, his eyes rolled skyward as he gazed at the clouds overhead. There was a great accumulation of near constant dark clouds, but through the holes in the sky, he was able to see the light. It shone through the clouds, reflecting colorful patterns onto the bulk of their form, and the colors seemed to dance along the very fabric of the cloud.

In fact, as his mind fell into a peaceful state, he was able to see images from the ballet of colors. Jade was bouncing along in her carriage ride. She was fast asleep as the road outside her makeshift home was dark, with rocky crevices and the sounds of the oceans cascading along the shore. There were many figures in each cloud, and he could vaguely see John shifting in his sleep as Dave was laying down next to him in the tent. He could barely make out the sight of Dirk, his hair stuck up at many odd angles as the man’s face had migrated to Jakes old pillow.

The clouds were but a brief look into a fleeting moment, the sun barely bothering his exhausted eyes as he finally closed them, not to crack them again. At least, he wished he didn’t have to open them again. When he did, the soldiers about the camp were packing up their gear. He felt like a ton of bricks had fallen directly onto his head, and he was struggling to burden the load he had. He rubbed at his scalp, the sleep that he procured only going so far to rest his exhausted body.

It was only then that he noticed a figure under the tree he had rested in, his head leaned back against the bark as he overlooked the soldiers performing their mundane tasks. He had an air of boredom to him, unbroken by the sound of a loud tousle going on in the communing areas. People stopped to look and stare, but it was nearly a common sight, to see bitter arguments and physical retaliation over the scarce rations of food.

Dirk was polishing his katana as he was dressed suitably again, in a regal tunic and the most utterly ridiculous pants that Jake has ever seen in his life. It was like he had taken as much wool as he could and stuffed it into his trousers, before parading about in a fancy get up. It would have been impressive, save for the girth of those britches. It had Jake snorting a bit, rubbing at his exhausted eyes as he realized his glasses had gone astray on his face. He plucked them from his nose and wiped off the smudges and fingerprints, before sliding them back on.

Remaining silent, Dirk listened to the sound of boots scraping along the bark of a tree, before he didn’t even flinch when a sudden thump echoed close to his side. He just continued to focus intently on the blade in his hand, speaking in a practiced tone, “Good morning, Jake.” He said, and already Jake could tell that Dirk was in a sour mood. Despite his features modeling pristine perfection, Jake could see the tension in his shoulders. With Dirk, there was always some minute detail that could be picked out of place to tell his true emotions.

“Hello, Dirk.” Jake said simply, preferring to leave this awkward conversation at that. Jake stood his ground as Dirk continued to dab over a particularly smudged edge of the sword, but as nothing came, Jake felt his annoyance starting to peak again. “How are you.” He pried out, deciding to play along with Dirk’s little game. The passive aggressive control act had gotten old for Jake a long time ago.

“Woke up on the wrong side of the bed,” Dirk began, before lifting his sword up and turning it over in his hand. “literally.”

It was only a moment that Dirk waited, not giving Jake time to formulate a response before he was delving back into the topic at hand. “Why did you leave the tent? I had half of a mind to send guards out to chase you down, before I heard your disgustingly loud snoring coming from the top of a tree.”

“You only have half a mind anyways, Strider,” Jake stated backhandedly, “I was getting insufferably smothered by your arm and torso, and it was merely too hot to remain in that humid tent any longer. So I did the most sensible step and went somewhere high up to catch a breeze. I didn’t know I would have to wake you to ask permission, your highness.”

“Permission revoked. For future reference, you are my property. You are not free to do whatever you please, you are not able to wander about without supervision or my word, and I’m seriously considering adding leg shackles before we arrive at Derse. You’re lucky I didn’t knock your ass out of that tree to teach you a lesson.”

As harsh as ever, Dirk remained completely expressionless through his bold statement. It appalled Jake, the audacity Dirk felt he had over him. He never belonged to anyone, and no matter what Dirk said, his will was his own. But to argue would merely cause trouble for Jake, so the man bit his tongue and left the statement where it rested. He was hungry, anyways, which was painfully obvious as his stomach let out a gurgle of protest.

“Say, what’s for breakfast, anyways. Has John eaten anything?” Jake asked, scanning the crowd ahead for his cousin.

“We had oats and dried fruit; and yes, John ate with Dave in the tent. Kid isn’t a morning person at all.”

Now that got a chuckle out of Jake as he remembered just how tough it was to urge John out of bed in the mornings. He would eventually resort to using cold water on his face face on John’s particular bad days, which usually got the two up and wrestling off their sleep. Well, before everything grew too tense and somber in the kingdom. It was easier to just let John escape into his dream world than to wake him up to more bad news.

“Ah,” Jake began, leaning his back against the tree as he glanced at the position of the sun in the sky. It was still early, only a few hours since sunrise. “Sounds enough like John. I’m glad he’s at least eating after wretching up all of his dinner yesterday into a filthy bucket. It truly stank up the air to the point of making the rest of us all sick as well.” Sure, he was complaining. He had a lot to whine about!

Dirk turned his head towards the carriage that would be Jake’s home for the remainder of the trip, before he stated, “If John gets sick again, holler out the window at me. I’ll be sure to have someone retrieve the bucket and clean it out.”

Well, that was at least something. “That should make the trip slightly more bearable.” Jake stated, before watching curiously as Dirk took out a bag and began to pour some oats and the occasional dried fruit into his palm. He rose up in a fluid motion, leaving his katana on the side, before he cupped Jake’s hand and dumped the small meal into his palm. “Take it and make it last. We’ve run out of rations earlier than anticipated.” He said, before Jake looked down at the barely sustainable food. No wonder Derse’s soldiers were thin.

He popped it all into his mouth at once, figuring it would be cruel to tease his stomach with small bites, and swallowed down the dry mouthful. A water skin was being placed into his hand, and Jake avoided eye contact with Dirk as he accepted it and got a few good mouthfuls. He cleared his throat slightly, before looking up to the King as he strapped the skin onto the side of his hip. “Well,”

Jake started, pausing as Dirk’s head turned over towards him. “When are we heading out?”

“After we pack the last bit of supplies we’ll be hitting the road.” The man said, “We shall be arriving at the nearest Derse checkpoint by midday, if we push the horses at full speed. From there, we will rest one more night. It appears as though, despite believing we were ahead of schedule, we will be taking at least one or two more days to arrive back at the capitol.” He said, and Jake groaned quite animatedly at the news.

Dirk raised an eyebrow at the display. “Is there a problem with this, Jake? Last I checked, you had nothing better to do than socialize with John, or ask Dave questions. You expect that there will be more for you to do at the castle, but I can assure you, life there will grow dull and boring for you as well.”

Jake wanted to say so badly a list of all the other things that he would be feeling at Derse castle besides boredom. The list was a long one, and Jake could mull it over all day if he wanted to. But at the end of the line, what Dirk said was generally true. He didn’t want to arrive at Derse any faster, he knew reality would sink in far too quickly. He would be wed to a madman there, with all of the time to think about his failure spent as a trophy in designer clothes. He wanted to get his mind off of that, so he felt the need to poke at Dirk a bit.

“Well, I’d like to see you crammed into a small box for hours on end and not groan inwardly at the thought of doing it again.”

“I wouldn’t, because I’m not a little bitch.”

“You sure about that, mate?”

“I could have you beheaded for saying shit like that, you know.”

“Try not to lose your head next time then, Dirk.”

“Very funny.”

It was faintly reassuring, knowing that he had a bit of vocal liberty when they were away from any prying eyes and curious ears. Dirk had always been a vocally liberating person to be around in general. Especially when his grammar turned colorful, or he decided to throw in an innuendo or some form of simile that would somehow make sense, despite the convoluted way he attempted to explain it. Perhaps he could even talk to Dirk like a human sometimes.

Hah, that would be a joke.

After a brief period of awkward silence passing between them, Dirk wordlessly made the conclusion that the conversation was over. He rose to his feet, kicking off his heavy boots of caked on mud. He was just about to walk away when Jake cleared his throat loudly, and the prince stopped to stare at him with annoyance finally tugging his eyebrows downward.

“Is there any way I can ride alongside you? I can assure you that I won’t make a break for it, as I legitimately have no where I could go and no place to hide in these open fields. You could shoot the horse I’m atop of down if I make a break for it, and even so, why would I leave without John.” Jake knew he was just fishing in the dark here. He had relied on Dirk’s kindness and leniency to get him out of sticky situations for now. Perhaps he’d even allow him that?

“No.” Dirk said without a second thought, and well, there goes that argument he had in his head. Strider turned on his heels and made way towards his white mare grazing at some oats, his hand going over to smooth her flank while Jake just stood there lost. He didn’t like things being left on such a casual note. Now he was peeved, walking away from the tree he was in as he approached the empty clearing that the camp once was. He may or may not have kicked a particularly heavy rock on the way over in exasperation, only to find it lodged deeper into the ground than anticipated.

He knocked the rock out of the way, sure, but he gracelessly swore out a colorful note as the rock had been buried deep in the mud. “Damn flambbitt!” he exclaimed, kneeling over as he grabbed at his toe through his boot. He held the grace of a newborn gazelle as he pranced about the field, catching the attention of shoulders who watched. He would have felt bad, if he didn’t hear the nasally laugh from his cousin rising through the rest of the rabble. He turned his head up, meeting eyes with Dave and John. John was dressed in a change of wardrobe, with baggy black pants covering him and a too-loose shirt on him. It was obvious to see who it belonged to.

“Jake, mind your language! There are so many pissbabies here that we need to be careful around! Don’t want to get a complaint letter from their mommies about your foul tongue.” John openly teased, and Jake straightened up with a tough look at his cousin. He punched the male across the shoulder, causing John to laugh and stagger back and Dave to arch an eyebrow at them. “Ow! Asshole, that was a low blow!” he said, before Jake took a fighting stance and bounced from one heel to the next. “Every spot of you would be a low blow, my good chap! Because you are just one massive dick!” he called out, and John gasped in fake offense towards the statement.

 

“My good man!” John began, fanning himself with an expression parodying an awestruck woman witnessing something of the upmost offense. “You wound me with your words! Mark MY words when I say this will not go unpunished!” he said, before the two of them were just chuckling softly with each other, Jake’s stance relaxing as John strolled up next to his cousin once again.

“But yes, it’s about time for us to go.” John said, before Dave nodded his head in response. “Egbert’s right, we gotta saddle up. And by saddle up I mean sit down in seats that wouldn’t even be fit for a begger to lay their drunken head on for even a moment.” Dave grunted out, his open complaining falling on deaf ears as Dirk was running a brush through Maplehoof’s mane. The Dersite wasn’t even paying attention to the bickering males, and Dave relented with a small sigh. “What an asshole.” He muttered, yet Jake could see the way Dirk’s head turned towards Dave, with a knowing smirk on his lips.

Definitely an asshole.

* * *

 

As the three were settled into the carriage once again, there was a deep lapse in conversation. Nobody wanted to speak, but there was a lot on the group’s mind if the tension held in their shoulders was any indication.

Jake was watching Dirk trot by on his horse, sticking uncharacteristically towards the side of the caravan instead of securing his position at the front of the line. He was right outside of Jake’s window, but his eyes stayed trained on the road the entire time. They never strayed to the green eyes of the man who was watching him, or whose attention occasionally diverted towards the road ahead of them.

John was sitting with his head against the wood, letting the cool breeze blow onto his wet forehead as the mugginess in the hot box was nearly insufferable. Occasionally a deep sigh would come from their direction, and whether it was from John or Dave was only dictated by the pitch.

 It was positively dreary today, with the sky retaining the scattered clouds left over from the shower last night. Hooves fell upon slick mud as the path they walked went from stone to gravel, and now to nothing but dirt. It was a poorly used trail, since visits towards Prospit grew scarce in the past few years of famine. Only the army’s boots had stomped out a path for them to follow, along with the occasional patch of gravel that was not washed away with the summer’s rains.

Jake would occasionally spot a deer prancing by in the desolate wasteland of dead trees and withered grass, until it skittered out of sight and away from the large mass of people coming its way. At one point, Jake watched as a rather skilled archer shot down a large stag before it had time to dash away with its mate, and Dirk only turned his attention to watch as the well sized animal fell to the ground. He called a halt of the carts, holding up a hand as he shouted out a command.

 

“Tie it in any spare fabric we have and bring the stag to the cart. Any more wildlife spotted, even female deer, will be treated the same way. The rains have brought a prosperous hunting opportunity, and it would be a shame to waste it.” He called, before a collective cheer rose from the Derse population. He lowered his hand, before attempting to turn Maplehoof back around.

His uncovered orange eyes met with Jake’s as his head turned, and suddenly Jake felt a bit tight in the throat. He couldn’t explain this rush of feelings that started from his gut and spilled over his chest in painful ways. Dirk had stopped to look at him, Maplehoof stomping her hooves on the ground and trotting eagerly to keep going. But Dirk just stopped and looked at Jake, his eyes roaming over the tan facial features, before green and orange bore into each other. A group had gathered around the fallen creature, gathering it up, but Jake knew that Dirk didn’t care to stop because of something as small as a group of people who could easily catch up.

Dirk was studying him, quietly in his own remark. Finally he broke their fix as he whooped Maplehoof and galloped to the front of the caravan. All at once, Jake finally remembered to blink, his eyes sore as he rubbed at them. What the blimey could he even have even called that? It was like they were lost when they met, and Jake was left scrabbling for answers. It was a mix between déjà vu, and perhaps a bit of anxiety? It was strange to think about, and he was the only one that seemed to notice it as he slumped away from the window.

“I think I’ve finally fuckin’ lost it.” He stated to no one in particular, Dave and John only turning their heads out of curiosity to the fact that someone finally broke the deafening silence. As John was waiting for an addition to his statement, he grew visibly tense when no explanation was offered. Dave was in much of the same predicament, before Jake just sighed and slumped himself along the back of the chair. “Dirk is an insufferable, psychotic prick with a tendency towards brutal and complete control. I will never know happiness again after I’m forcibly wed to that wanker.” He stated as if it were a fact, leaving no room for argue.

Not that Dave or John wanted to argue. John just let out a faintly amused sound as he nodded his head. “I believe it! He’s probably going to make you wear a chastity belt, and have a lock hanging from a necklace around his throat.” John teased openly, before Jake just rolled his eyes. “Oh, that would be an understatement, John. He would put a collar on me in a heartbeat, and walk me around in a leash as if I were some exotic pet. The chastity belt will only be the start towards the ludicrous BDSM dungeon I’m sure he has somewhere in the castle. He probably had it installed even before he knew he would capture me like some prize game.” John was practically losing his shit with laughter, his nasally and frankly annoying laugh filling the space around them as Dave couldn’t keep the grin off of his face either.

“He has a shirt on a shrine dedicated to me, as well as a lock of my hair he collected from the one time I brushed it using his comb. He pays homage to it by jizzing on a portrait of me he had painted, with my sultry lips pulled into a precious pout and my clothes notably missing.” Jake continued, batting his eyelashes as he clasped his fingers together in a wistful manner.

John couldn’t stop roaring in delight as he very nearly fell out of his seat. “Holy shit- Jake, you’re killing me here dude!” John pleaded, a silent word to beg him to stop, but Jake only made the most awkward wet mouth noises possible as he pretended to kiss himself with his arms wrapped himself. “’Oh Jake~ How much I’ve missed you,’ He would say into an ornately painted body pillow of me, wetting it up with his drool as he thinks of how terribly he misses me!” Jake cooed, before Dave was covering his face with his hands and chuckling himself.

“I wouldn’t even put him against that.” Dave helpfully supplied, before suddenly an extra cough drew all three of their attention towards the window. Dirk was trotting by the window with an unreadable expression, and John was soon a color of red that mocked Dave’s tunic. Jake felt his stomach drop out as he stared at his soon-to-be husband. He bit the inside of his lip as Dirk’s expression seemed to narrow in on him, and Dave was awkwardly clearing his throat.

“Oh…Um, hello, Dirk.” Jake stuttered out helplessly, his green eyes unable to tear away from Dirk’s. Said Strider just glared at him in retaliation. “You know, I was thinking of letting you ride on Timaeus’s back. But I think you’re having an absolute riot in here, so I may as well let you continue accounting your tails of how you view my private life.” He verbally attacked, causing Jake to feel shame color his cheeks.

“I- Well I.” he was in a loss of what to say at this point.

Dave looked between the two with a strange expression, before turning to Dirk with an amused smile. “Bro, come on and cut him some slack,” he asked, “He was just having some fun. We get it, you’re prideful and shit, don’t be a bag of angst over a bit of teasing.”

“It’s not that I’m a bag of angst, I’m just fuckin’ annoyed that I think about doing one nice thing for him and here he is trash talking me to my own brother.”

Dirk was still trotting alongside the cart, a gorgeous golden steed at his side restlessly trying to gain a bit more speed. “Oh shit, Timaeus too? You really do want Jake to be your wife. You never let ME ride him.” Dave said, before Dirk just grinned and stated in retaliation, “He’d buck you off in a second, little bro. Besides, you’re annoying and he doesn’t like you.”

“Owch, those words sting, bro. Go back to kissing your Jake pillow and fondling his hair between your grubby fingers.”

Dave was just egging Dirk at that point, and after the brotherly squabble, Dirk seemed to have lost that sharp edge in his gaze. He looked back over to Jake, his head tilting slightly in question. “Well, if you’ve decided you’re done being a gaping asshole, let Timaeus get used to you before you try to mount him.”

Woah, holy shit. This was actually happening to him, Jake thought, as he scooted closer to the window. He pulled the silk curtains back and away from the hole, and as he took in the sheer size of the beast, he was confused as to why Dirk was riding anything but that majestic creature. He was definitely over six feet tall, with a mane that shimmered like light gold with each step. His legs were toned and strong, and the bottom had an extra fine layer of hair that was a darker shade of brown than the rest of him. He was a solid color along his body, with it seeming to be an almost orange kind of gold.

Jake moved his hand out and made sure that the steed could see his palm, and with a small snort leaving Timaeus’s nose, Jake was stroking his fingers through the smooth strands of his mane. He was receptive to the touch, tossing his head back and tussling his light blonde main, before bobbing his head in a short whinny. He didn’t know if that was good or bad, and with a look at Dirk, he found a smile on his lips.

“He’s certainly an animated fellow, isn’t he?” Jake asked, his hand smoothing down his fur as he pet along his bobbing neck. Dirk was looking at him in that strange way again, watching the way that Jake’s palm slid along the horse, and how the Prospitian’s smile was so wide and bright. He just nodded his head, before he looked down to Jake. “Do you think you could mount him while we’re trotting?” Dirk inquired.

“I’m actually not sure about that, mate. Wouldn’t that spook him?” That was a good question, but Dirk merely patted the titan’s head fondly. “He rarely ever spooks. It’s why he’s one of my favorite studs around. You can just jump on, and so long as he recognizes you, he’ll just keep on keeping on.” Dirk stated, but it didn’t really seem to ease Jake’s nerves that much. Yet, he would take the leap of fate, he supposed.

Sliding open the door of the carriage, he watched the way the creature’s gait was bouncing impatiently, the black eyes trained on him. Dirk had his hand out as well, ready to reach for Jake if he needed to be, while still maintaining a tight hold upon Timaeus’s reins. Jake watched the dirt road below them, still slick with mud, and winced at the idea of falling into that mess and no doubt causing an uproar behind them if his body were to roll towards other horses.

He closed his eyes to count, taking a few deep breaths, before suddenly a pinch on his posterior was making him yelp in surprise. He took a staggering bound forward, before he found himself leaping onto the back of the steady horse. The only indication that he caused the creature any discomfort was the sharp snort and slight stagger, but otherwise Jake had managed to swing his leg over the back of the horse.

He glared back to the perpetrator of such a preposterous deed, only to find John grinning at him, pinching his fingers together in a mock motion of what he did. “Oh, you little shit!” Jake exclaimed, before letting out a small “oof” of surprise as Dirk thrust the reins forward into his chest. He took them into his palms, staring them over with only a hint of distress before he felt his smile nearly overtake his entire cheeks.

He was riding a horse.

He wasn’t inside of the carriage.

He was able to feel the wind in his hair, and see the road ahead of them

Timaeus was powerful in each of his steps, and with the sheer height of the horse, he was a bit taller than Dirk as he looked down at him with a big smile on his lips. “I’m- Wow, Dirk! Look at me, my pal! I’m atop Timaeus and he isn’t even throwing a fuss!” he said, looking down at his reins once again as he felt just so…content.

“Ugh, lucky.” He heard, seeing John and Dave both looking at him with a mixture of happiness and jealousy. John was the one to make the statement, and Jake merely put up the finger towards John with his grin practically threatening to overtake his face. It was rapidly spreading, and the chance of survival from that shit eating grin was practically zero as Jake let out a strong whoop and kicked his heels along the side of Timaeus.

Well, it seemed like a good idea in retrospect. He was used to his own mare being much more relaxed than Timaeus, and not once did the blue bastard even think of taking off into a dead sprint. But, alas, Timaeus was certainly not Neytiri, and Jake found himself letting out something similar to a squawk as the horse’s powerful legs nearly sent him flying back as he went from a trot into a full gallop.

“SWEET JUMPING LIMA BEANS IN A SKILLET, I’M GOING TO DIE.” He wailed at the top of his lungs as Timaeus shot ahead of the caravan, quickly passing the head horses as Jake held on tight to the reins as the horse galloped out of control. Dirk swore loudly, watching his horse take to Jake’s kick quite poorly. “Damn, fuck.” He said, before quickly speeding Maplehoof up towards a gallop as well. Sure, his mare wasn’t quite as big, but she was fast.

Dave turned to John with surprise written on his features, and after a brief moment, they both burst out into laughter. “Oh my god, did Jake really just say that?” Dave asked, John hiding his face into his hands as the two smiled together. “He just did. He’s so dumb sometimes! I haven’t heard him say anything weird like that since he was a teenager, he must REALLY be spooked.” John said between laughs.

Despite the way that Timaeus was very clearly not having any of being caught right now, Jake was smiling. He was smiling so much that it was hurting his face as he watched Dirk bound after them, shouting orders towards the unruly steed. It was hectic, and the stud wasn’t listening to his commands as he attempted to steer him with the reins. But god, Jake hadn’t felt so free in so long. The weight of the kingdom on his back was long from being off of his mind, but for now, he let his mind wipe blank as he enjoyed the cool air brushing along his skin.


	6. Battlefield

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Returning through the field that the battle waged in wasn't the best move, as our wandering caravan soon encounters an emotional roadbump that only Dirk can pull together.

Despite his insistent tugging upon the reins, Jake found himself barreling through the field as Timaeus made his best impersonation of a ramped locomotive. The powerful steps thundered across the ground, kicking up mud and other debris as Jake attempted to yank and pull the stud’s head from side to side. But the beast wasn’t having any of the former king’s shit, and soon was adding an animated kick towards his already hectic pattern of running.

“Dirk, I can’t get him to stop!” Jake called frantically back, seeing the sight of the Dersite charging in rapidly next to him. Maplehoof was fast, faster than Jake anticipated as she dodged the trampling hooves of the much larger warhorse. Dirk was right next to Jake, reaching a hand out towards the equally frightened Prospitian. At first, Jake had no idea what to do when Dirk held out his hand. Was it a proposition, a way to soothe him perhaps?

In the end, Jake wound up reaching his hand over and taking hold of Dirk’s hand. One glance at his expression proved this is not what Dirk wanted, and through the adrenaline filled haze he made out Dirk telling him to hand over the reins. Reins?

Oh, oh yeah! Jake held the reins towards the horse in his other hand! Quickly withdrawing his palm from Dirk’s grasp, Jake moved the tether from one hand to the other, before passing it to the man. He held on tightly to the horse’s saddle as Dirk shouted and whopped at Timaeus, firmly yanking his head to the side as the horse slowed its gallop to a trot and eventually down to a standstill.

Jake’s chest still felt like it was going to burst, his breaths coming out soft and labored as he was glad that the steady rise and fall of the horse ceased. Timaeus seemed much more calm as he shifted from one hoof to the next, leaning down towards a patch of green and nibbling on the weeds sprouting from the ground. Dirk fixed Jake with a concerned expression. “You okay?”

“J-Just peachy.” Jake confessed, before wiping a bit of nervous sweat from his browline. “I’ve had enough adventure with this one escapade than I would have hoped from the rest of this trip. Are you certain I should be the one atop him? I could always take a more mellow horse, or one that isn’t so gigantic.” His suggestions were valid, but Dirk merely tossed Jake an unamused glance. “If that’s the case, then I’ll merely escort you back into the carriage. You wouldn’t have to be concerned about Timaeus after that.”

Jake’s expression gave Dirk his answer, before the male merely snorted in amusement as he turned tail and began to regroup with the caravan. “That’s what I thought.” He stated, causing Jake to puff up his chest. “Wait just a moment mister; you don’t know what to think because I haven’t stated my intentions!”

“Maybe your intentions shouldn’t be so hells of easy to see through.”

“Maybe you should stop being such a blasted, confounded rapscallion for at least one moment of this trip. Your quizzical behaviors and cocky attitude are so infuriating sometimes!” Jake was quick to take rein again over the chilled out stud, the horse prancing his happy ass behind Maplehoof and his true master.

“Get used to them, because they aren’t changing because you hiked up your big boy knickers and attempted to verbosely insult me using rapscallion in a serious manner. Mind your blood pressure, honey.” Dirk insinuated, before Jake merely began to puff up his chest. “My blood pressure is fine and at a completely stable level. Watch your ego, Dirk, because it appears to be extremely elevated much like your cranium constantly being in the clouds!”

“Isn’t clouds a Prospit thing? Yeah, Derse things are death and destruction. Try again later, buddy.” Dirk retaliated, before Jake could only manage a frustrated noise. He swore to his Nana’s grave that Dirk would wind up being the death of him at some point in time (Hopefully not in a literal sense). The way he handled himself reminded him vaguely of some deranged, narcissistic, egotistical horsecock that flippantly galloped its way across the countryside wreaking havoc on normal and reasonable folk’s common sense.

When the duo arrived back towards the Caravan, the others had ceased their forward progression in favor of waiting for their Prince to arrive. They didn’t want to wander too far off of the beaten path, in case Dirk found himself at a loss of where his surroundings were. It was nonsensical, given that Dirk Strider was the fucking bee’s knees when it came to navigation. He knew all of the shit and where to flip it, or keep it unflipped. If you ask Dirk, that is.

If you asked his disgruntled bride, you’d probably receive a sarcastic commentary heavily loaded with slang terms that made little to no logical sense. But hey, we’re not asking either of them.

Instead, Dirk regained command of his convoy, raising one arm into the air to gather attention, before motioning forward down the path. “In chasing down Timaeus, I’ve gathered there is a shortcut through the prairie that should cut down travel time by at least an hour. The cracks in the ground imply a spot where a streambed may have traveled, which may provide a detour towards the river we need to pass. And frankly, after the hectic experience with the mountain lions down the path we took, I’d prefer to not lose another mare this adventure.” He called, before the choir of people began to reiterate his commands down the line.

When all turned their heads in acknowledgement and agreement, Dirk let out a whoop towards his steed. The mare raised her head and turned foot, before following her owners and trotting down the path that they chased Timaeus down earlier. Jake found himself not even needing to usher a command to the stud, as he followed after his owner with an obedience Jake envied. Not even Neytiri would follow commands as well as Timaeus.

The road appeared to be bumpy and slicked with mud from the fresh fallen rains. Occasionally Jake would watch an unfortunate soldier get his foot stuck in the mud, or a horse lose its footing on the slick grounds. The carrier that served as his key form of transportation was stuck more than once without the gravel to keep its wheels moving, but always it was unlogged and pushed onwards with the occasional halt to change the horses pulling it. In this manner, it was merely two hours before they were arriving at the shallow river before them.

It was the borderline that served to cut off Prospit and Derse from their respective boundaries; save for the massive empty field winding in front of them. It was namely bare, with an almost black and white color scheme. Trees and fauna were scarce in this region known as Skaia, in which most of the battle had taken place between Derse and Prospit. The ground was filled with holes that gathered rainwater inside, with the footprints of countless boots being washed away. Bodies lay throughout the kingdom, some of Dersites in their thick black and purple armor, most of Prospitians in their shiny white and gold. The sight stretching before them was enough to make Jake sick, and the stench of death reeked through the entire field.

The only forms of life present appeared to be a gaggle of crows gathering around the corpses, pecking and ripping the deteriorating flesh from the fallen’s bodies. War horses and canines alike also littered the field with the occasional living stray darting to the side as Dirk motioned the caravan across a shallow dip in the river. One thing that the drought did was make transportation easier.

“Go steady with the Royal Carriage. The stream may seem shallow and narrow, but with the murky water there could be holes at any point. Send the horses forward to chart the safest path, then wash the exterior out with water when it finishes crossing.” He stated, before his head turned to gaze over at the battlefield in front of him. With the way that the stench hung like a veil over the area, and decay was heavy, he knew the water was not safe to drink. “I acknowledge that you may all be thirsty, and our reservoirs only regained a bit from the rainfall, but do not attempt to drink this water. I wouldn’t be surprised if we were treading over dead bodies or remains right now.” He stated, causing a bit of distress towards the soldiers behind him.

Not at the fact that they couldn’t drink, but the very fact that all around them was the fallen remains of their companions.

Jake was frozen in his saddle as he stared out ahead at the state of the battlefield. He knew of the war’s terrors and the causalities suffered. It was one thing to hear about them via courier, but to stand at the edge of the field and stare ahead at how much destruction that took place? It was worse than he could have ever imagined.

He watched the crows feast on the flesh of the women and men who served in the battle, as wild dogs who once were trained with obedience fought and bit at each other to establish who would eat first. He saw the faces of the damned in the people who fought so hard, only for their country to fall; for their ruler to cowardly hide himself away until sacrificing his Kingdom in exchange for his own life. All of these people, whose death beds will forever be the rotting expanse of a withering battlefield.

Despite the horror, the disgust, the way his body locked up and refused to move; Dirk continued ever onwards. He led the group through the stream as Timaeus padded closely behind. The horse moved on his own accord, as the person manning his reins was frozen in time. It felt like his world was shaking as he looked across the damage that this war caused, the causalities stuck here in this time for the rest of eternity. The world was in black and white as crows flew out of the way, exposing faces peeled back with maggots crawling in the flesh.

Worms crawled from their mouths and empty sockets as Jake practically heard the screams of anguish as metal clashed in the backgrounds. He could hear shouting, the sounds of boots pounding against the ground before blood stained the places where they once stood. The Prospitian king felt his skin crawling as he looked at the white maggots burying themselves into the corpses, his nails biting into his skin as he began to scratch.

This was all his fault that these soldiers were just a breeding ground for flies.

It was his fault that their bodies were left to rot and decay in the harsh sun.

It was his fault that Dirk trampled across their corpses with no remorse for who the people they once were, smashing their brittle bodies under Maplehoof’s and Timaeus’s hooves.

It was his fault.

As his attention locked onto various faces of dead soldiers he swore he could hear the villagers chanting all around him. “Traitor!” They called, “Useless!” “Worthless fiend!” “Coward!” As the voices grew louder, the mouths of the corpses seemed to open and close as a chorus of laughter penetrated his head, causing a pounding headache. They were laughing at their failure of a leader, of the fate that lies ahead for the once honorable Prospitian King. Jake wanted it to stop; the laughter, the mocking, the death all around him.

“Stop it.” He whispered at first, his voice cracking with emotion as the laughing only got louder and louder. Every time he whispered just a little louder, the laughter merely increased in volume until all he could hear was the blood pounding in his ears and the chorus of war and mockery; screams, laughter, metal grinding against each other. Finally it was all too much, and Jake broke down with a hoarse scream leaving his lips.

He threw his head back and tugged at his hair frantically, forgetting where he was as all blanked out around him. He tossed himself off of Timaeus in the next moment he could, landing with a harsh thud onto the ground as he curled up and gripped at his head in anguish. “MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP, MAKE THEM STOP LAUGHING!” he hoarsely begged as he forced his green eyes wide open. He had landed right next to a corpse, the flurry of flies resting on its body creating a sickening cloud about the two.

The King stared into the nearly empty sockets, the mouth stretched wide open with flies buzzing in and out. He could see every wrinkled crease in the man’s grey face, the maggots shifting just under the skin. All was quiet for just one moment, before Jake was scurrying onto his hands and knees and screaming at the top of his lungs. He clutched at his scratched up arms and buried his nails in deep, creating angry red lines down his biceps when he dragged them down.

He was in the middle of crying when suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his stomach, falling back onto his side as his arms wound around his poor, abused stomach. His crying turned into a pathetic mess of quiet sobs and wet coughs, his tear filled eyes turning up towards the sight of Dirk above him. He had this disgusted look on his face; like Jake was some sniveling child on the tail end of a tantrum. He was looking down at him like he wasn't even worth the time of day. With one kick of his boot, Dirk was casting aside the rotting corpse that Jake had landed next to when he so brashly jumped off of a moving horse. 

"Pathetic." Dirk commented, the caravan behind them oh so quiet as a dozen judgmental eyes were resting on Jake. They were whispering amongst each other as Jake sniveled and clutched onto his garments, fingers trembling. While the noises of the war had finally quieted in his head, he now had his superior to answer to as the man knelt down to eye level with Jake. "It sucks, doesn't it, English? Seeing people strewn all about the field while the hot sun cooks em' alive?" he paused to garner a response, not surprised at all when Jake chose to remain silent. 

"Now imagine that being the streets of your kingdom when the permeating heat penetrates you to your core, sapping the water right from your brittle bones with no hope of hydration. People fall all around you, voices screaming their pleads for fresh water, desperate for something to quench their dying throats. Imagine the toll of that drought, starving bodies cooking under the sun as they drop like flies across the streets. There are too many to count, too many to collect and dispense of before more were already beginning to pile up." 

"You've never seen the true face of death until now, Jake. It's no valiant burst of courage like the soldiers hold to believe. It's not a reflective time, nor is it worthy of any memorial. It's the brittle struggle all the way to the grave, the life clawed and ripped from your chest. Whether it was the sun that was your downfall, or the cold bite of a blade, death looks the same." Dirk had gripped Jake's chin in his hand as he spoke, making the Propitian tense up as Dirk snapped his gaze to the side. He was forced to look at the crippled body, pathetically ragdoll in it's look. It's face was locked in an expression of hopelessness, of sheer misery stuck in place before the life faded from his skinny frame. At least, the parts that he could discern as features were identifiable as that.

"You're best to remember that face, English. This is the reality that we're born into, this is what the world is. And you either adapt to it and conquer, or you let the weight of the world crush you beneath it's boot." 

All of this information was buzzing through Jake's conscious thoughts like the flies rising in the air around them, his green eyes welled up with emotion as he did do well to remember that face. He didn't want this soldier to be remembered as an example of one's fleeting life; but instead for what he truly was. A brave man who met an unfortunate end. These were the bravest men and women that Jake had known; the ones who were so passionate for their cause that they laid down their life for the fleeting chance of hope. A hope that Jake clutched close to his chest, a small flame gently fanned with the determination to right these horrendous wrongs that Dirk caused.

He forced his gaze back up to Dirk, a storm in those green orbs as he knocked the prince's hand away from him. "I'll be remembering it alright. Perhaps not in the way you do, but I won't be forgetting it any time soon." 

Dirk seemed to acknowledge this with a passive glance of his own, before rising back up onto his feet with an idle dusting of his clothes. "Then get yourself off of the ground, Jake. You're filthy." He commented, turning around and stepping back to Maplehoof as he brushed a gloved hand over her white mane. "You will not be traveling outside of the carriage in your state." 

The shorter king scrunched up his nose in distaste, staring down at the fabrics tarnished by the mud and grime of the field. An odd odor clung to him, offending his nostrils as he pulled the soiled shirt over his head and merely tossed it into the mud with a toss of his wrist. "Well if I'm going to be placed inside of that swelteringly miserable container again, then I suppose there wouldn't be any concern if I disrobed now." He backhandedly stated, steadily stripping off layer after layer as Dirk turned around and narrowed his eyes. 

Jake was standing merely in his briefs, with a thin undershirt clinging to him as he discarded all of the clothes he was wearing after wiping his hands and face off on the clean spots. They belonged to Dirk, a simple button up and too-small riding pants that undoubtedly no longer fit Dirk anymore. They had clung to him like a second skin though, accenting all of his more curvaceous features in ways that he knew didn't fall flat with the owner of said pants. But he felt almost liberated now, the breeze soothing to his fevered skin as he left the pile of cloth on the ground.

"How fitting; the Prospit king stripped bare after his anxiety attack in front of the watching eyes of dozens of soldiers. The symbolism almost kills me here." Dirk mentioned, swinging his legs over the mare as Timaeus heeded his masters motion to assemble by his side. When Dirk was comfortably seated, he turned to the officer next to him and pointed at Jake. "I'll lead the caravan further through the field, keep watch on the prisoners and be sure nothing too detrimental goes wrong with their living quarters."

At his leaders command, he trotted his black steed towards Jake and was soon poking him with the butt of his spear. "You heard your husband. Get back into the cart, we don't want to fall behind schedule." He was insistent with his nudging, only grunting in response when Jake slapped the blunt end of it the spear away from him. "He is not my husband; and I will take my damned time in getting in if I so please." Jake established, only expecting the way the man drew the spear back and jabbed it painfully into the king's side with far more force this time.

He hissed out, shooting a glare in his direction, before stepping along the ground to reach the carriage. "Jesus, fine. I'm going! No need for the short end of the stick here!" He complained. John was staring out at him with concern in his features. Jake opened the door and slid inside, head hung down low as it was closed behind him with a harsh slam. It was only a moment longer before the cart lurched forward in motion, the caravan moving ever onwards with the three passengers in rather low spirits. "Dude, are you...uh, okay?" John asked in a hushed tone, his hand resting over Jake's and giving it a reassuring squeeze. 

The Prospitian didn't respond for a moment, still remembering the way that the corpses around him seemed to animate in their mocking cries. The way Dirk used their bodies as an example, the disrespect shown to their fallen. It was disgusting, and Jake clenched his fists tightly into John's grip. The poor boy let out a squeak of surprise when he didn't anticipate his hand getting squeezed so hard. "Ow-!" he complained, before pausing when the choked sound of a sob was leaving his cousin.

 "I feel completely responsible for the deaths of these men, John." He confessed with a small breath of air, "They fought so valiantly, so bravely, and Dirk is treating all of them like they were merely pawns in his sick and twisted game. They died for nothing, John. I could hear the calls of the village as I dropped my crown, their accusations biting me to my bone and haunting me from their grave. Gods, John. I feel like such a horrendous man for ending the war like this." The silence was only broken by the anguished and pained sobs escaping from him, Jake releasing his younger cousin's hand in favor of burying his face into his own.

"Jake..." John began, biting his lower lip nervously as he cast his gaze up to Dave. The man was at least giving them a sense of privacy, staring out the window and thankfully keeping his mouth shut. Jake was in too vulnerable of a state to be handling any form of retaliation, and it would be John's job to keep his head up. His attention was drawn back to Jake as the king managed to take a deep, nervous breath. "W-worst is, I keep attempting to comfort myself with the knowledge that I made the sensible choice. If I fought, then Dirk would have killed me and my best men. He would have sent orders to destroy everything, John. But the people- they still blamed me, labeled me a traitor. And you know what? I-I, I'm thinking they're right. At least if I had died in a glorious blaze, perhaps you and Jade could have gotten out and went to Beforus to mobilize their forces."

It was a bittersweet thought. Dave and Dirk would have had to search high and low in the castle to figure out the hiding spot that hid his sister and cousin; and by then the two would have gotten the hint that things had gone horribly wrong. Jake would be dead, but the duo could have made it out alive. Just the very thought brought the king down yet another emotional notch, the tears just refusing to stop as John's small hands were wiping away the tracks of water.

"Jake- seriously, don't say that ever again. If you had died, then you would have been right the first time! Dirk would have caused a lot more trouble, and many more lives would have been lost. YOUR life would have been lost! Jade and us may be separated, but god damnit Jake we're all alive because of you! Sure, we were caught. But if we had gotten farther than the castle I'm almost certain that we would have been shot down instead of taken hostage." John's tone was serious, almost alarmingly so. 

It had pulled Jake together for just a bit longer, the tears quelling as John's thumb rubbed soothingly along his cheekbone in gentle motions. "Stop being so hard on yourself. You're not singlehandedly responsible for an entire kingdom falling." He paused, his face slowly falling into a somber expression as he forced a little half smile on his lips. "E-Even if dad was still alive, he would have lost the war too. It was hopeless from the start, Jake. If I took the throne, then I would be put at blame for the desecration of Prospit. You were just in a bad place at a bad time." He comforted, embracing Jake when the older man finally crumbled down.

The two of them remained close, John's fingers easing through Jake's hair as the two of them felt so small in this fucked up world. So much was happening so fast, and by the end of the day they would be able to see the ever looming presence of Derse's castle in the distance. They were less than 48 hours away from their new life; a whole new schedule, new clothes, new faces and people and duties that would no doubt be humiliating or dehumanizing to the once regarded royalty. For now though, they still had each other. That was all that would matter for the last remaining time they held together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'know, it's amazing what the motivation of one comment could do. I had thought that this fic was long forgotten by everyone, buried under pages and pages of other stories. But after a few months I got one comment; just one person asking me to continue this. And well, here it is! I finished typing and editing this entire chapter in one god damn day just because I was ecstatic that someone still cared. This chapter goes out to you.


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